Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, farmers from across Australia descended on Canberra with a powerful message for the Albanese Labor government: if you have no farmers, you have no food. As a farmer by trade, watching the havoc that this government has unleashed on the hardworking Aussies who keep our nation fed and clothed is gut-wrenching. I have one thing to say to the Prime Minister: this isn't political; this is personal. In the last two years, this government has ripped thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land away for wind and solar farms; created mandatory emissions reporting, when the science to calculate this doesn't even exist; increased taxes, denying farmers access to critical workforces; introduced the fresh food tax; increased taxes on superannuation; introduced the family car and ute tax; axed the agricultural visa; and shut down the live sheep export trade. And make no mistake about it, they'll be coming for our live cattle next.

Looking back, it's clear the Albanese Labor government crucify farmers at every opportunity. Anyone who has worked the land will know that farming is not just a job but a core part of our identity and purpose. It isn't in our blood; it is our blood. Without farmers, our rural and regional communities simply don't exist. The local school doesn't survive. The supermarket doesn't survive. Local businesses don't survive. Your kids simply do not have jobs. It's not just the economic toll; the mental anguish these decisions have on our farmers is real.

It's been over 40 years since farmers were last tested against the government. There is a better way. A coalition government will reinstate the live sheep export trade, bring back the agricultural visa, legislate that the 88-day backpacker visa remains in place for the agricultural sector, introduce a container levy so that our farmers don't pay for the biosecurity risks of our overseas competitors; reverse Labor's cuts to regional infrastructure, stop Labor's trucky and vehicle efficiency standards tax, make nuclear energy a part of our energy mix, scrap harmful emission profiles and stop Labor's proposed taxes on superannuation. I want every Australian farmer to know that the coalition is listening. We are hearing you. Farmers get blamed for every climate change argument under the sun by Labor, the Greens and the teals. Enough is enough! As the federal member for Dawson and a proud farmer, I stand shoulder to shoulder with our farmers. Without farmers, we would all be naked, starving and sober.