QUEENSLAND Agriculture Minister, Tim Mulherin, has praised the contribution of the former head of AgForce, Peter Kenny, whose funeral service was staged at Brisbane’s St Stephen's Cathedral today.
Mr Mulherin paid tribute to Mr Kenny’s ‘Every Family Needs a Farmer’ initiative, a partnership between AgForce and the government that built stronger links between rural communities and urban Queenslanders
AgForce president from 2004 to 2007, Mr Kenny was also an NFF board member, RNA councillor, Cattle Council of Australia and Cattlemen's Union member and a director of QR National. He passed away on Saturday.
“Mr Kenny was a passionate and well-respected advocate for agribusiness and the communities of rural and regional Australia,” Mr Mulherin told state parliament. “Peter represented Queensland on the Premier's advisory council on climate change and was chair of the expert panel that looked at the social impact of drought in Australia for the federal government.”
The Minister said Mr Kenny played a central role in the design and implementation of the ‘Fresh Approach’ reform to agribusiness. He helped draft a new bio-security bill, soon to be tabled in Parliament, and conducted the Government’s wild dog review.
“He saw great value in the sheep and meat industry in western Queensland,” the Minister said. “He saw that that industry would bounce back and grow.”
Mr Kenny had firm convictions about agricultural reform, but approached discussions collaboratively rather than confrontationally. “He was firmly focused on achieving outcomes,” the Minister said. “Through this constructive approach, I believe Peter reinvigorated AgForce's relevance at a state and national level. I think he also left a great formula for AgForce for more effective engagement with the community and all levels of government-local, state and federal.”
In a sector that can be dogged by negativity, he said Mr Kenny was always positive about what agriculture was doing in food production and what farmers were doing in stewardship over their land.
“He was a real advocate for agricultural reform in Queensland,” the Minister said. “He used to say to me that reform is like crossing a road and seeing a bus coming at you.
You have two options: you either get knocked over by the bus or you jump on board the bus and either take a back seat or grab the steering wheel and take control. Peter always wanted to be the driver of the bus.”
Mr Mulherin said that on a personal level, Mr Kenny acted with kindness and decency. “He was always affable and could easily converse with captains of industry, heads of government departments or a farmer in the back paddock,” he said. “Peter was a religious man, but never spruiked religion. I believe Peter received great solace from religion throughout his life and no doubt it provided comfort to him during his illness.”
Mr Kenny grew up in rural Queensland. He qualified as a teacher and taught at the Christian Brothers school in Gympie. Mr Mulherin referred to one of Mr Kenny’s former students, Mark Fox. As principal of Saint Francis Xavier school in Mackay, Mr Fox had sought to follow Mr Kenny’s teaching methods.
“I think Peter would be pleased to know that he influenced at least one of his former students,” the Minister said. “Peter was always bettering himself through his life with his agricultural enterprises. I think he contributed a hell of a lot to agribusiness and policy development in Queensland.”
Mr Mulherin said Mr Kenny was a true friend and it was hard to believe he was gone. “I know Peter will be sorely missed by many people throughout rural and regional Queensland,” he said.
