Despite handing down the highest taxing Federal Budget in history, the Albanese Government cut the agriculture budget by more than $190 million in a slap in the face for Australian farmers.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, Darren Chester, said the budget had failed to invest in long-term food security or regional infrastructure, and he accused the government of giving up in the fight to control feral animals and pest plants.
“Budgets are about choices and the Albanese Government simply didn’t choose our farmers,” Mr Chester said.
“Labor still doesn’t understand the importance of backing Australian farmers and regional communities.
“There’s a $52 million cut to the Future Drought Fund just as farmers battle difficult seasonal conditions in large parts of the country.
“This budget proves agriculture is not a priority for Labor. At a time when global conflict is driving up fertiliser prices, increasing diesel costs, and putting pressure on food production around the world, Labor has failed to provide a single new dollar to implement the unfinished National Food Security Strategy.”
The budget also cuts funding from key agricultural pest and disease preparedness programs and fails to replace expired invasive species management funding.
“Labor is clawing back funding from the Pest and Disease Preparedness and Response program as part of more than $104 million in agriculture grant reductions,” Mr Chester said.
“At the same time, the Government has allowed the federal feral animals, pests, and weeds program to lapse without replacement.
“That means less support for preparedness against serious disease outbreaks and less support for farmers dealing with invasive pests destroying farms and the environment.
“Farmers are already battling exploding deer populations, wild dogs, feral pigs, invasive weeds and growing biosecurity threats, but Labor’s response is to cut preparedness funding and walk away from coordinated pest management.”
Mr Chester said the decisions were particularly alarming given the ongoing threat posed by foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and avian influenza.
“You cannot claim food security is important while cutting pest preparedness and abandoning invasive species control,” Mr Chester said.
Mr Chester said the budget confirmed agriculture was being treated as a source of savings rather than a national priority.
“This is a budget of broken promises and higher taxes but even with that increased revenue, our farmers and regional communities have missed out,” Mr Chester said.
“This budget leaves Australian farmers carrying more risk, more costs, and more uncertainty, while Labor strips money out of agriculture to fund its reckless spending elsewhere.
“The Inland Rail project has been cut to support the Suburban Rail Loop in Melbourne, and there’s no additional investment in the infrastructure we need to get products to market and travel safely through our regional communities.
“If you weaken food security, cut biosecurity preparedness and ignore invasive species, the costs do not disappear. They end up being paid by farmers, regional communities, and Australian families at the checkout.”
