Interview with Warwick Long, ABC Country Hour

E&OE TRANSCRIPT 
RADIO INTERVIEW 
ABC COUNTRY HOUR 
WEDNESDAY, 13 MAY 2026 
 
SUBJECTS: 2026 Budget 
 
WARWICK LONG, HOST: So, that's the good and the bad out of the Budget from many of the groups that spend a lot of time representing farmers and those who want a better environment to Federal Government. Jack Gough there from the Invasive Species Council was ending that report from Josh Becker and Fiona Broom. Let's hear what the government's got to say about the numbers and what it will mean for you. Major tax reform, billions for fuel and fertiliser supply and cuts to pest control grants were major elements of the federal budget for agriculture. Farmers are exempt from trust changes, as you've been hearing. There's more money for chemical regulation, and there has been a major funding cut to the Department of Agriculture. So, what does the Minister have to say? I spoke to Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins earlier today. 
 
JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: Terrific to be with you, Warwick. And to your listeners today. 
 
LONG: What's in this Budget for farmers in Australia? 
 
COLLINS: Well, obviously, the most important thing is supporting farmers in terms of the current situation we're dealing with in terms of the Middle East. You know, we know that this is impacting globally and as a government, we're doing everything we can do to shield Australians, including our farmers, fishers and primary producers, from the worst impacts of that. You saw that last week with a $10 billion announcement, seven and a half billion of which is about fertiliser and fuel security facility, to make sure that we can secure supplies of important inputs like diesel and fertiliser. 

LONG: How quickly is that hitting the ground? What's the timeline on that investment? 
 
COLLINS: Well, I was able to announce this morning, actually, that we have now secured under that investment 90,000 tonnes of additional agricultural grade urea. And that comes on top of the 250,000 additional supply that we secured from Indonesia that I announced just a couple of weeks ago. So, that 90,000 is under that new arrangement. 
 
LONG: So, that's where the government effectively underwrites the boats to provide surety for the importers to bring the product to Australia. 
 
COLLINS: That's correct. And we're obviously working with the two big companies and then other companies in terms of securing more fertiliser for Australian farmers. 
 
LONG: The Opposition's Darren Chester says you're picking winners and losers in fertiliser shipments and the importers who aren't getting their boats underwritten by the government are simply going to stop ordering due to the risk from competitors. Does he have a point? 
 
COLLINS: No, we're certainly working with them all and certainly talking to the industry and people in the industry. They understand that we have prioritised, obviously, the biggest two, and then we're moving and working with other importers at the moment. So, this has taken, you know, some time to get in place, but we've moved much faster than other countries, and it's put Australia in a good position in terms of our diesel and our fertilisers. 
 
LONG: So, your door’s open to the smaller importers? 

COLLINS: Absolutely. 

LONG: Let's talk then about some of those other changes. There is a major tax change coming for business trusts, but farmers have been exempt from that. Why? 
 
COLLINS: Well, obviously, on farm income, you know, what we want to do is work with our primary producers. As I said, we know that they're under pressure at the moment. So, we've listened to them and they've obviously welcomed us in terms of listening to them and some of the concerns that they had around, I guess, some of the rumoured changes without seeing the final detail last night and what you've seen really from the sector is having seen the final detail last night, that they are very pleased that the government has listened to them. Certainly, obviously a lot of farmers also utilise Instant Asset Write-Off which we're making permanent, which I know will be good news, and permanently introducing the two-year loss carryback for SMEs. So, that's for people with a turnover up to a billion dollars, I know is also welcomed. So, there's a fair bit in it, this Budget, as there always is. 
 
LONG: There is in the Budget papers extra money for organisations like the APVMA, getting an additional $8.7 million for next year. Is that to try and speed up some of the chemical regulation bottlenecks that have made their way into the sector? 
 
COLLINS: Well, we've been obviously on a pathway of reforming the APVMA. What we inherited was, you know, I guess, not ideal for Australian agriculture and certainly for those industries, and we've been on a pathway of reform. And what this additional taxpayer funding does is allow that reform to take place at a pace and a rate, I guess, also recognising where industry is at. We've also obviously done that in terms of the full cost recovery for our exports too, and delay that an additional year to the 1 July 2027. So, again, this is about us working with and listening to industry. They were some of the industry's asks, and we've listened to them. 
 
LONG: There is a $200 million cut to your department over five years. What's behind that? Why is there such a large cut to the bureaucracy for agriculture? 
 
COLLINS: Well, obviously, right across government, this Budget, we've really been focused on putting downward pressure on inflation, and we've been looking for savings in every portfolio. So, what we're talking about here is some future uncommitted funds and some reprioritisation, and you've certainly seen that across the Budget. You know, with $68 billion in reprioritisations or savings, I think inflation really is the thing that hurts Australians and our farmers. And certainly that's what you have seen in terms of what we have been working on with the farmers, right across a whole range of things, so -- 
 
LONG: Productivity and growth for an industry are also big concerns, though, too, right? Does a $200 million cut over five years to the Agriculture Department's budget affect those goals? 
 
COLLINS: Well, certainly there's no on-ground programs or farmer-facing programs that we're talking about here, we're talking about future uncommitted funds, and we're talking about, you know, grant programs that haven't opened and things like that. We've been really careful to make sure that we shield farmers as much as we can. But certainly, you know, when we listen to them and they ask for things, we certainly need to be able to, you know, cut our cloth, as every department right across government is doing, to be able to pay for those things, as people would expect us to and taxpayers expect us to do. Because we do need to deal with inflation, and what we've seen with the war is it will impact our inflation. So, as a government, we're doing the responsible thing and taking some tough decisions, Warwick. 
 
LONG: You're listening to the Country Hour. Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins, is with you. Pest, animals and diseases is an interesting part of your government approach, because there are two things going on here. There is increased biosecurity spending and a focus on biosecurity from your government. But you're also cutting the spend on the pests that are already here. $104 million cut from grant programs, including pest and disease preparedness and response programs. Is there a problem with funding pest control? 
 
COLLINS: Well, what I would say, Warwick, is since our government has come to office, we've invested around $2 billion in additional biosecurity, understanding that, you know, our biosecurity risks increase given, you know, the changing climate, the increase in passenger and container movements. But we've got over 400 -- 
 
LONG: Yeah, that's stopping things getting here. 
 
COLLINS: Yeah but we've got over 400 -- 

LONG: That's not killing the animals that are here. 
 
COLLINS: We've got a total of over $400 million across the forward estimates to 2030 for nationally cost-shared pest and disease response programs. And obviously, you know, the primary, responsibility in terms of pests and diseases is with states and territories and land managers, and we're working with them on that. And if we get any new incursions, we'll, you know, go through the usual process in terms of that. Hopefully, because of our strength in biosecurity, that's not what happens. 
 
LONG: But if there's Budget cuts to things like pest control, doesn't that mean we're more likely to lose the battle against some of those pests that are spreading throughout Australia? 
 
COLLINS: Well, there's no existing emergency response cuts to existing incursions. So, let's be very clear about that. As a normal part of Budget management, proportion of unspent or uncommitted funds, you know, have been, I guess, taken as savings. But what we're talking about here is significant investments from our government in biosecurity, and we continue to work with the states and territories and with land managers on existing incursions. 
 
LONG: Government confirmed you provide $3.2 billion in concessional loans of the $3.5 billion available from the Regional Investment Corporation. Does that just show you how hard it's been for agriculture and primary industries in Australia that that much money has been required for assistance in times of need? 
 
COLLINS: I think what it shows is our government has been responsive and listening to the industry, Warwick. You know, we've certainly, you know, put that additional investment in. We've, you know, made the new loan products available, understanding that some farmers have had some very difficult and tough decisions. But let's also be optimistic. For the first time, you know, we're going to crack the $100 billion for agriculture, and we're cracking it four years early. And that's testament, I guess, to the resilience and the innovation of Australian farmers and producers. So, even when we're dealing with, you know, floods, bushfires, drought, we've got the Middle East now that will all certainly impact on farm income, but we're still going to crack that 100 billion this financial year. And I think that shows just how terrific and world-leading our farmers are. 
 
LONG: To farmers out there listening to this, obviously they've seen a pretty big structural Budget to our tax system. Is this the end of it? Should they fear extra changes in budgets in the future? 
 
COLLINS: Absolutely not. What they should know is that we'll continue to listen as we have with this Budget and we have in the past and certainly, you know, seeing our investments, whether they be in terms of international relationships and trade, whether it's in biosecurity funding, whether it's in sustainability and resilience, in terms of some of the conditions our farmers face, we are listening and we're working with them. 
 
LONG: Thanks very much for joining us.