The agriculture sector is the backbone of our Maranoa electorate and our nation.
Recent data shows that the sector provides employment for about 7000 Maranoa locals as well as the
food and fibre for our nation.
Those of us in regional Australia are acutely aware that a flourishing agricultural sector leads to a
flourishing country.
However, this fact seems to have completely escaped Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his
government.
During the past two years, since this government was elected, Labor has time and again shown it has
no interest in regional Australia or agriculture.
It was also evident recently when Anthony Albanese made an insensitive comment at the AgriFutures
Rural Women’s Award gala dinner at Parliament House.
His comments summed up how little the Prime Minister, and his government, think of agriculture.
However, The Nationals will continue to support our primary producers by fighting against these sorts
of attacks.
We’ve done this by successfully campaigning for an ACCC inquiry into the behaviour of our major
supermarkets and putting forward our plans for divestiture powers in a bid to prevent anti-competitive
behaviour.
The Nationals are committed to fighting more of this Labor Government’s damaging polices.
A future Coalition Government will repeal the decision to phase out the live sheep export industry, will
scrap this Labor Government’s fresh food tax and will repeal Labor’s Scope 3 climate-related financial
disclosure policy.
As Leader of The Nationals, I firmly believe Scope 3 needs to be entirely removed, given the enormous
burden this would place on our farming industry, as well as the lack of data and
measurement available.
Labor’s recent track record with agriculture has led to all peak farming bodies moving a motion of no
confidence in this Prime Minister and his government.
However, The Nationals’ track record of supporting agriculture and sticking up for the bush speaks for
itself and we will continue to fight to ensure regional Australia gets its fair share.
Farming is not so much a job for many people, but a way of life and this government is threatening that
way of life.
There’s no doubt that our agricultural sector can’t afford three more years of this Albanese
government because if they continue in this vein, they could break the backbone of our nation.
ENDS
