Nationals’ leader, David Littleproud, said Labor’s agriculture productivity roundtable today must help, not hinder, the agriculture sector.
Mr Littleproud said he feared farmers would end up being the target of higher taxes and green and red tape, with the agriculture industry forced to bear the brunt of Labor’s ideology.
“Labor can ease the burden farmers are facing at its roundtable, starting with ditching its terrible new superannuation tax plan, which will target farms worth more than $3 million in self-managed super funds (SMSFs) and force farmers to sell their land, instead of passing it onto families,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Many families previously set up SMSFs as their future retirement and for succession planning, unaware Labor could come for their assets. Labor can’t even tell us how many primary producers; small and family business owners will be impacted.
“Less farmland means less supply, and when supply goes down, prices go up.
“What remains of farmland also risks being cut up with renewables or facing unwanted rules. Under Labor, we now have an extra 5,000 pieces of regulation. Labor must fix its reckless race to renewables and create an energy mix.”
Mr Littleproud said he’s concerned the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are building the ground for higher taxes on farmers and more union influence.
“Our farmers can’t afford to pay more or be taxed more, because input costs and material costs are already too much. Under Labor, electricity is up 32 per cent and gas up 30 per cent. Despite productivity gains, there is a cost squeeze, which impacts supply chains.
“We also need to protect our strong biosecurity, rather than trading it away in a potential deal for the Prime Minister to win favour with US President Donald Trump. We need to have confidence in the imports entering Australia, but Labor is unwilling to have an independent science review for transparency and assurance. The independent Inspector General of Biosecurity, this year, recommended independent scientific reviews of import risk assessments.
“The value of agriculture production is forecast to be $91 billion in 2025-26.
“But Labor is stifling the inputs into agriculture, including creating worker shortages on our farms by refusing to reinstate the Agriculture Visa, while also failing to fix its unworkable Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme, which can’t get enough workers to get food from paddock to plate.
“When regional Australia does well, all of Australia does well. If Labor is serious about making life easier for our farmers, it needs to implement policies which will give farmers hope and confidence.”
Orange cherry farmer Fiona Hall said farmers are continuing to see their margins squeezed.
“The purpose of agritourism is to try and diversify our income stream so we are less dependent on volatile markets and the weather,” Ms Hall said.
“We’re working hard to innovate – bringing visitors to the farm, telling the story behind our produce and adding value locally, but these efforts can only go so far without supportive policy settings.
“Rising electricity, fuel, wages, and compliance costs eat away at the gains we make.
“Agriculture underpins our regional economy. If farming becomes unviable, it flows on to local jobs, tourism, and small business. We need policies that give farmers the confidence to invest and the tools to keep producing world class food.”
