National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke made the call to all farmers last week to rally in Canberra to protest on a range of issues affecting the industry.
“I’m alarmed by the growing number of decisions being made in Canberra that aren’t about what’s best for farming,” Mr Jochinke said.
“It feels like we’re being drowned out by interest groups who want to tell a negative story about who we are and what we do.
“Whether it’s banning live sheep exports, water buybacks, new taxes and red tape, or destroying productive agricultural land — these policies which hurt farming communities are being driven by people who don’t understand or value what we do.”
Blighty irrigation dairy farmer Malcolm Holm said the time for taking action was now.
“If we are going to Canberra, this is the moment to strike because there are so many issues on the table,” Mr Holm said.
“If we don’t do it now then when are we going to do it?”
Mr Holm also chairs the NFF Water Committee and said Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was ‘ticking boxes’ with respect to water buybacks.
“The buybacks being implemented are pretty horrendous to northern Victoria and southern NSW communities.” he said.
“(Tanya Plibersek) put out a short statement in which she said she would ‘consider’ the impacts.”
“That’s like saying this morning I would consider having a coffee or tea.
“She has a real reluctance to come into the region; she doesn’t care.”
The national rally will also focus on the proposed double tax on farmers for biosecurity, the impacts of the renewable energy transition on rural communities, and the ban on live sheep exports by sea.
NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said the rally on the doorstep of Parliament House would be a ‘landmark moment’.
“We need good decisions out of Canberra that support the farmers who quite literally feed and clothe our nation,” Mr Martin said.
“Farmers will not stand by while (politicians) ignore facts and science to comply with the theories of anti-farming activists.
“The water, land and workers needed to grow our food is being taken away by bad decisions, and we need to act now to keep our farmers farming before our food security is thrown into real jeopardy.”
Mr Holm highlighted uncertainty on the scrapping of the diesel fuel rebate, the biosecurity tax and IR laws that he fears will restrict worker visas.
He also voiced concern for the live export trade.
“What kicked it all off was keeping the live sheep out of Western Australia and I guess for our region, once the activists have got the sheep sorted, live cattle exports will be next on the list,” he said.
“Another concern is the tax on unrealised gains on superannuation.
“So if a farmer owns some assets and the value goes over three million dollars, they will get taxed on that, even if the value is not realised yet.”
Mr Holm said he hoped a ‘large contingent’ of farmers from across Australia would descend on Canberra to address parliamentarians who ‘needed to listen to farmers instead of activists’.
“There’s a whole heap of cost impediments on rural communities and the government doesn’t seem to give a stuff about it,” he said.
“As far as they know, there’s plenty of food, not only in Australia, but also around the world that they can import.”
