As the second February sitting week wraps up, Australian famers have secured major policy wins across biosecurity, taxation, environment and trade.
National Farmers' Federation President David Jochinke has spent the past sitting fortnight balancing his time between the farm and the halls of Parliament, speaking directly with political leaders.
"It's no secret farmers have faced a long list of policy challenges from Canberra," Mr Jochinke said.
"Farm advocacy can be a hard slog, so it is important we acknowledge when we achieve positive outcomes for the sector.
"The wins of the past fortnight are the culmination of focused advocacy, not just by the NFF, but in step with our member organisations."
Key wins from the February sitting period include:
- Biosecurity Protection Levy scrapped. Australia's 85,000 producers can rest assured they will not be forking out for a deeply flawed and unfair charge, saving the sector millions.
- 'Super Tax' blocked. Crossbench Senators again refused to back this legislation, sparing 3,500 farming families from a higher tax bill this July – and protecting another 14,000 farmers who own farm assets in their superannuation from being slugged, should their property values grow.
- Nature Positive legislation discharged. Shelving this bill – which would have created a federal Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and added more green tape for farmers - was an important step forward. Hopefully, it removes the distraction preventing real discussion on environmental reforms (EPBC Act).
- Australia-United Arab Emirates Free Trade Agreement received JSCOT* approval. Bipartisan support was received for the deal, as recommended by the NFF, removing tariffs on over $2 billion worth of Australian agricultural goods. *Joint Standing Committee on Treaties
Mr Jochinke said these wins collectively delivered producers hundreds of millions of dollars in either avoided costs or increased supply chain value.
"In my time in advocacy, I can't recall another period where so many major policy wins were achieved at once.
"It reinforces the NFF's role as the farmers' 'embassy' in Canberra, making sure producers are heard when critical decisions are made on policies that will impact them."
However, Mr Jochinke said while these outcomes had been positive, now was not the time to take the foot off the pedal.
"We an election on our doorstep, we must remain laser-focused to ensure farmers' voices are heard by candidates across the nation.
"We will work with all sitting and future politicians to ensure they understand that policies which support agriculture are policies that are good for their communities and the country as a whole."
