Address to the National Farmers Federation Leaders Summit, Canberra
NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION LEADERS' SUMMIT
NATIONAL LIBRARY - CANBERRA
TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2024
Good morning, I’d like to start by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we’re gathering today and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here today representing the recently appointed Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins. And it’s great to be here delivering my first address as the Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
As I also look after the Regional Development portfolio and have been a Queensland Senator for more than eight years now, I’m already familiar with some of the issues and concerns in the agriculture industry.
Since taking government just over two years ago, we’ve made it clear that our agenda has always been driven by the promises we took to the Australian people in 2022.
We promised to phase out the live sheep export trade and that legislation passed the Parliament last month.
Our focus now turns to continuing discussions with the sector to find common ground and form future policy positions.
We won’t always agree, but we can’t let our disagreements on some issues completely derail our good work on other issues where we have found common ground, and are working together to capitalise on the opportunities that lay ahead for farmers.
The latest National Farmer Priorities Survey makes it clear that more work needs to be undertaken to ensure our farming communities feel listened to, and that they feel like their concerns are reflected in the policies coming from the Federal Government
Minister Collins and I are focused on earning that trust.
I’d also like to thank all of those who have been in touch with me directly, or with my office since my appointment to role.
I’m looking forward to working with you all.
What I’ve enjoyed the most since 2016 is travelling to communities across regional, rural and remote Australia.
I’ve always preferred a road trip to a quick flight, because it’s the things you get to see and the people you get to meet that make you a better representative here in Canberra.
Seeing our nation’s agricultural capacity out there on the road over the years, and meeting the people that make this sector a success has been a highlight.
But while our innovative farming sector is key to our global reputation, the reliability of our exports is what makes our country’s produce so successful overseas.
As a nation we export over 70% of our agricultural produce - these exports are crucial to our national economy and they play a massive role in delivering food security for the rest of the world.
Clearly, the stabilisation of our relationship with China is delivering real outcomes for our ag sector - a key priority of the Albanese Government.
Over the past 12 months, China has removed trade restrictions on our exports of barley, timber, horticulture, cotton and hay.
Already, restoring those products has delivered over $800 million in extra agricultural exports.
Restrictions on all but two beef establishments have also been removed.
And bottled wine has once again made its way to China - $220 million worth in the last two months – which is almost four times the value of wine exports to China in 2021, 2022 and 2023 combined.
But recent years have shown us the risks of concentrated markets, which as a government is why we’re working to diversify them.
Currently, we are pursuing a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates – Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East – and building on the UK and India FTAs which were ratified during our time in office.
Under those agreements, exports of Aussie avocados, cotton, wine, seafood, beef and sheep meat have grown.
In 2023 alone, we opened 10 new markets for everything from sheep to mangoes, to lobster, everywhere from Vietnam, to Japan and Thailand, and we’ll continue to work on this expansion.
I understand this Summit’s aim is also centred around promoting ideas that will enhance the industry and grow our agricultural output.
So, while I’d like to applaud the NFF and other bodies across the agriculture industry for their advocacy and targeted goals of growing our output, we also need to remain focused on upholding and protecting what we already have.
Because the risks to our farming communities and the wider economy are too great.
We remain one of the few countries free from many of the world’s most invasive pests and diseases, thanks to the success of our biosecurity system, which our Government has fixed.
And while areas like regional Queensland are known for their rich agricultural land, our farming land is also incredibly vulnerable when it comes to biosecurity.
With thousands of kilometres of coastline and only a thin smattering of people, the chance of a threat slipping through undetected in Australia is higher than we’d like.
There are all sorts of ways pests and diseases can make their way in – on travellers’ boots, in parcels or even blown in on the wind.
Detecting them early is crucial to protecting our nation’s agricultural industry, natural environmental assets and lifestyle.
Today’s release of the National Farmers Priorities Survey has the protection of Australia’s biosecurity as the top ranked issue for farmers for 2024 – a 12.7% increase from 2023.
And looking at the numbers from across Australia you can see why:
- Last financial year, 48,000 risk items were detected in our country’s mail
- Among the 21 million travellers arriving here, we made 365,000 detections of biosecurity risk items.
at the same time, 2.5 million shipping containers came in, with over 500,000 cargo entries referred for inspection and treatment at our ports. - We also have around 1,947 staff supporting the biosecurity work we do across the traveller, cargo, mail and conveyances pathways.
At any given time, we are working tirelessly to keep the country safe.
Our Government has been on the front foot in tackling the issue of biosecurity funding.
Last year, we announced our Sustainable Funding model, the first in our nation’s history, that provided $1 billion of additional funding allocated to biosecurity. This included $845 million to support operations across the country, all to protect our valuable agriculture sector.
Right now, the H5 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza, or H5 HPAI, is a significant concern.
That’s why we invested nearly $7 million to prepare for H5 HPAI to try and preserve Australia’s status as the only continent still unaffected.
The strain has caused significant deaths of poultry, wild birds and other wild mammals overseas.
And while the strength of our national biosecurity system and Australia’s geographic isolation has kept us free from H5 HPAI, we can’t afford to be complacent.
The arrival of birds from areas where H5 HPAI is present constitutes a constant risk outside our control.
This $7 million means we can do more surveillance in the north and keep a close eye on bird populations right around our shores.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the NFF and the wider industry on their collaboration in an area that I have taken a keen interest in through my roles as Assistant Minister for Education and Regional Development, and that is helping regional communities tackle workforce shortage issues.
The Albanese Government is continuing to do all it can to alleviate the skills crisis we’re currently overcoming.
The tripartite Agricultural Workforce Working Group, which was stood up by former Minister Watt, was an excellent example of government, employer groups and unions working together to attract, train, protect and retain the workers the sector needs.
This cooperative approach – working with other Ministers and departments - delivered:
- Over 14,600 Fee-Free TAFE places for agriculture courses;
- Agreed principles to underpin labour hire licensing;
- A commitment to a Food Supply Chain Capacity Study, and an Ag Trade Apprenticeship; and
- Agriculture’s voice being heard in the Government’s Migration Review, Employment White Paper and Housing Plan.
Of course, like all industries, the workforce challenges that face this sector are not yet fulfilled. But we must acknowledge that a huge amount has been done and I look forward to continuing to work with you to address this issue.
Finally, I wanted to touch on mental health and how our government supports farmers.
You will attend a screening of Just a Farmer later today, which is about the serious mental health challenges farmers face.
Nothing puts strain on a household like money worries – how to pay the bills and keep food on the table when you’re going backwards.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry looks after two incredibly important financial hardship programs – the Farm Household Allowance and the Rural Financial Counselling Service.
Both aim to alleviate the issues which can cause serious mental health worries, giving farmers the breathing space to get back on track.
And I encourage anyone who isn’t familiar with these services to enquire further, because while it may not apply to your current situation, so many of us have known a friend or a family member who has struggled and is looking for support.
I’ve been spending the last few weeks getting my head around what lays ahead of us.
Time does not permit me to go into the other work we’re doing to protect, support and grow Australia’s agriculture to reach our ambitious target of a $100 billion sector by 2030. Things like:
- Investing in traceability, infrastructure and agtech;
- Developing the first emissions reduction plan for agriculture, ensuring the industry remains internationally competitive while reducing emissions;
- Boosting value adding in agriculture, fisheries and forestry; and
But I understand there is an awful lot yet to be done and that many challenges remain. Minister Julie Collins and I are focused on delivering to take this sector forward.
All this work has been built on a strong partnership between the Albanese Labor Government and your industry, and I intend on continuing and building on this partnership.
Thanks for inviting me to speak today and I hope you enjoy the Summit.