THE recent sitting week in Canberra was highlighted by the sacrificial trip many farmers made in convoy to protest on Tuesday outside Parliament House for the National Farmer Rally.
It has taken a first-term, out-of-touch Albanese Labor government to unite farmers, including the National Farmers’ Federation, to protest in this fashion for the first time in 40 years.
I make no apology for writing again about farming, because the increasing majority of communication with my office has been about the compounding threats to farming in Mallee.
Transmission lines, wind turbines, solar panels and mineral sands proposals are dismaying farmers.
They feel that instead of their family farming to the fourth or fifth generation, federal and Victorian Labor governments would rather their land was compulsorily acquired for political purposes.
That’s not to mention the many rights farmers are losing due to increasing red tape, green tape, Indigenous heritage – and rising costs.
Farmer protestors in Canberra on Tuesday civilly called for common-sense solutions, such as scrapping Murray-Darling Basin water buybacks, scrapping new taxes for biosecurity and superannuation, scrapping emissions-reporting green tape known as ‘Scope 3’, scrapping reckless renewables devastating prime agricultural land, protecting the 88-day rural backpacker visa and diesel fuel tax rebate, and overturning the ban on live sheep exports by sea.
Farmers have now joined business and mining sectors raising their voice more strongly in Canberra than we have seen for decades, dismayed at Labor’s 27-month agenda that is so radical it would make Gough Whitlam blush.
Closer to home, I am concerned about angst over competing land uses getting personal in Mallee.
I urge those with local concerns to raise them in writing with proponents, and you are most welcome to courtesy-copy or raise them with me at anne.webster.mp@aph.gov.au.
I will advocate for you so that you are treated with respect.
Let’s ensure potential change doesn’t divide Mallee communities but maintains social cohesion and prosperity for all.
