BARNABY Joyce says he’s being “deliberately provocative” by challenging Labor leader Bill Shorten to prioritise agriculture and regional issues in his budget reply speech tomorrow night.
Speaking to core industry members and other political representatives at the annual CropLife Australia budget breakfast at the National Press Club in Canberra this morning, the Agriculture and Water Resources Minister highlighted farm policies delivered by the federal Coalition since coming to office in 2013.
“We stand by our record of what we have achieved; and we put before our nation our plans for the future,” Mr Joyce said while mentioning initiatives like the Agricultural Competitiveness and Northern Australia White Papers and enhanced market access through new trade agreements.
“We are not a hostage to the whims of the ‘philosophical butterfly chasers’ who would hold to ransom the economic future of regional Australia and, therefore, our nation by reason of excesses in such things as unrealistic renewable energy targets.”
Mr Joyce said when the Coalition first came to government, the gross value of agricultural production was $48 billion – but it was now projected to go to $64b in the current financial year.
He said in the 12 months to December 2016, the value of agricultural production increased by 23.7 per cent and in contrast, in Labor’s last 12 months in government, it “actually contracted”.
“We are well on our way to what others thought was an impossible target: that is doubling the value of agricultural production in our nation - we are about one-third of the way there,” he said.
“As an accountant I understand clearly that figures tell the story of the underlying success of your application to a task.
“We have taken to the management board of our nation, spectacular figures.
“In the most recent figures, nothing added more to our GDP figures in the last year than agriculture.
“We are fulfilling our promise of a better return through the farm gate and, as such, a better return to our nation.”
Buoyed by the $8.4b funding announcement to help the government fund construction of the Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail, Mr Joyce called on the opposition to show it had a policy vision for Australian farmers and rural Australia.
“It goes without saying that on Thursday, when the Opposition Leader delivers his budget-in-reply speech, there will be little or nothing delivered by Labor on their vision for regional Australia,” he said.
“And if true to form, most likely nothing on agriculture.
“Why do I say this? Because they don’t have a vision.”
Mr Joyce said the Labor Party rarely, if ever, asked a question of any substance during parliamentary question time, on agricultural policy.
“Beyond negative commentary on our policy; Labor has no policy of their own,” he said.
“Even more insidious than that however, is that Labor wants to cut funding to dams.
“They provide no discussion on funding the inland rail.
“They are excessively swayed by an inner suburban clique, so as to put at risk the live cattle trade.
“They believe in the further socialisation of private assets, such as farmer’s native vegetation on private properties.
“Labor would once more split agriculture from water to make the driver of water an environmental outcome, at the expense of the social-economic requirements of the people of the Murray Darling Basin.
“In a Labor government, Agriculture would be relegated to a minor silent portfolio at the precarious edge of a Labor Party front-bench.”
Mr Joyce said some would see what he had said as being provocative but, “I want it to be”.
He said he wanted to inspire Labor to “take agriculture policy seriously”.
“I want Labor to catch up to the rest of Asia and understand where agriculture is and how agriculture can make Australia a greater beneficiary,” he said.
“I want Labor to say where they will take the Inland Rail next; after we – the Coalition – have completed Melbourne to Brisbane.”
Mr Joyce said the Coalition had turned agriculture and water resources into a strong and vital department in Canberra with its own culture – but the greatest risk to it was a change of government.
“All in all, what we have provided, is a holistic approach that has turned around the economic fortunes of agriculture and the economic future of regional Australia,” he said.
“This budget is instrumental to building on that.
“No other government has had to refurbish a department left so bereft by a previous administration than we did.
“We - the Nationals-Liberal government - invest in agriculture, not out of parochialism, but out of a real genuine passion to make our nation a stronger place.”
“To ignore agriculture is to ignore one of the fundamental tenants of the Australian economy; and you will ignore it to your vast detriment.
“For Labor they see agriculture overwhelmingly as the penance for so many social policies, leaving the encumbrances of an urban view on a regional constituency.
“Each time the Coalition comes to government, we have to break this false religion.
“We have to be the iconoclast of false Labor Saints.”
Speaking to media, Mr Joyce said he was being deliberately more provocative towards the Labor party because he wanted agriculture to be a centrepiece of the political discussion in Australia.
“So often we talk about things that are vital; social security policy, social policy (but) I want to talk about agricultural policy and I want our parliament to pay it the proper respect by coming up with a formidable policy, to challenge our own,” he said.
“All I see at the moment is commentary on our policy, not an alternative policy.
“Nothing contributed more to our last GDP figures than agriculture - 23.7pc growth.
“People said it was impossible to double agricultural production and we’re 31pc there.”
In a statement, Shadow Agriculture Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said for the past four years the Turnbull government had failed to develop a comprehensive plan for Australian agriculture and “Nothing in the 2017 Budget has changed that”.
“The agriculture sector will be underwhelmed by the Turnbull government’s second budget - as with previous budget measures the devil is in the detail,” he said.
“After four years Barnaby Joyce is yet to provide a strategic plan for the agriculture sector.
“Now farmers have been told to be happy with the inland rail project which the former Labor government first funded and the Coalition government cut in its first three budgets.
“The government still has no comprehensive drought policy but those who have reached the limit of their Farm Household Allowance entitlement will be able to go into more debt by taking out a concessional loan.
“But we know that Barnaby Joyce’s relocation pork barrel of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority will hit the Agriculture budget by tens of millions and is possibly coming at the expense of agriculture research and development.”