Joyce slams opposition’s politicisation of agriculture

But in contrast, the Coalition has forged its policies and funding programs to enhance the agricultural sector’s productivity and boost the nation’s economic performance, says Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.

Despite escalating criticisms for decentralising the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), Mr Joyce defended his 2016 record in an end of year interview with Fairfax Agricultural Media.

He also attacked the Opposition’s ongoing politicisation of agriculture that he said was getting worse and was illustrated most, during the recent backpacker tax fiasco.

While pledging to treat agriculture in a bipartisan manner when starting in the role, like the defence sector, Labor Shadow Agriculture Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has now disregarded that commitment while blaming that shift in his attitude onto Mr Joyce.

In the final sitting week of federal parliament this year, Mr Fitzgibbon earned a stinging rebuke from Queensland Farmers Federation president Stuart Armitage who was upset at being misrepresented over his farm group’s true position on the backpacker tax.

Mr Armitage issued a media statement saying he’d never publicly nominated a preferred tax rate despite comments made at a media conference in Canberra, by the Labor Shadow Minister.

The clarification came after Mr Fitzgibbon used a private telephone conversation with Mr Armitage to say the QFF supported Labor’s 10.5 per cent position, putting them at odds with the National Farmers Federation (NFF) which had backed in a 15pc rate, to help resolve the issue in the tense, final sitting week of parliament for 2016.

Mr Joyce accused the Opposition of also playing politics with farmers’ livelihoods via water policy, following recent controversy over the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

“People have been grasping at this for the purpose of dissent rather than for the purposes of negotiation,” he said.

Mr Joyce was also highly critical of Labor’s behaviour in disregarding bipartisanship during the dairy farm-gate pricing crisis that escalated during the federal election campaign.

The Nationals leader said his opposite number wasn’t taken seriously within his own party when it came to advocating agricultural policy and standing up for farmers.

He said Mr Fitzgibbon found it “very hard” to get a question posed to the government about agriculture during question-time in the House of Representatives, while Labor lacked sincerity and understanding of the farm sector’s needs.

“You can only judge it by the attention that they give Joel and the questions they let him ask at question time,” he said.

“He’s rarely out and asks about one question per year.

“He is the Santa Claus of the parliament - he gets to go to the dispatch box about once a year.

“They either don’t take the portfolio seriously or they don’t take Joel seriously.”

Mr Joyce said Labor‘s political positioning on the backpacker tax issue - in refusing to budge from 10.5pc - despite pleas from the majority of mainstream agricultural groups like the NFF - was “complete hypocrisy”.

“All they were doing there was trying to blow the show up and this just shows you can’t trust (Labor leader) Bill Shorten and Joel would rather play politics than come up with solutions,” he said.

“If they were genuine they would have supported 19pc and said at the election ‘we’ll fight for a lower rate’ just so we can get this item off the agenda.

“But the idea that they then take their economic advice from (Tasmanian Independent Senator) Jacquie Lambie, and come up with a rate that they know full well is completely and utterly unsaleable, means they haven’t come to the negotiation table in good faith and have only come to basically kick the show to pieces.”

Mr Joyce said Labor’s negotiation over the backpacker tax was like someone offering $250 to purchase your home.

“Yeah sure it’s an offer but it’s a ridiculous offer,” he said.

“You know it can’t be serious when you say, ‘Where’d you get that offer?’ and they say, ‘This very angry lady down the street told me to say that’.

“And then there’s this kind of sniggering, smirking smile that’s like, ‘we’ve just created a real problem for you; isn’t that clever?’

“But it’s not clever and it’s what people dislike intensely about politics - that you’re going to play with their lives for a political point scoring exercise.”

Mr Joyce said the Coalition had to negotiate a settlement on the backpacker tax rate after former Labor Treasurer Wayne Swan introduced a change to make it 32.5pc.

The NFF launched a feisty campaign at the start of 2016 against the rate rising to 32.5pc, and threatening to cull fragile, seasonal labour supplies, after it was announced in last year’s federal budget and due to start on July 1.

However, the Coalition announced a six-month deferral while the issue was examined, including in a Senate inquiry that subsequently backed passing legislation for a 19pc rate.

Mr Joyce said the Coalition never passed a bill to make the tax rate 32.5pc and it was the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that came up with a finding to say the tax free threshold couldn’t be claimed.

“That’s why the rate went to 32.5pc and we had to pass a bill to basically bring about a whole new tax rate for a group of people,” he said.

“The Labor party process on this was to say one day they were worried about foreign workers and almost in the same week they said ‘but we can create a whole heap of problems by suggesting a ridiculous tax rate for another group of foreign workers’.

“But you knew what they were doing – they were trying to start a fight.

“It’s like a person speaking to someone’s wife about their husband’s former girlfriends - you know they don’t really want an honest conversation - they’re just trying to create a problem.”

Asked if the Coalition needed to take any responsibility or blame for the backpacker tax issue escalating, Mr Joyce said the government saw a problem and was trying to fix it.

“We said we’d resolve it and put money on the table to cover the interim period from June 30 to January 1,” he said.

“We promised people we’d solve it and we did solve it and the reason we had 19pc in the first place was because that’s what the Senate review said; that’s what the NFF and VFF (Victorian Farmers Federation) said; that’s what the Lockyer fruit and vegetable growers said and Tourism Accommodation Australia said.

“They all said that was the rate they could live with so we fought for that and got that but then at the 11th hour it all blew up.

“The farm sector wanted the thing fixed and did not want to get to January 31 with the rate still at 32.5pc.

“That’s what we got loud and clear.”

Mr Joyce said he had no doubts that if the government had of nominated one tax rate, the Labor party would have just picked another one, to play politics.

“If we went low, they’d have gone high,” he said.

“If we went in the middle, they would have gone high or low.

“They were just out there to create disturbance and were not bona fide in wanting to help out Australian agriculture and it was just political bastardry but that’s because they don’t care about Australian agriculture.”

He said to know much Labor cared about Australian agriculture, take a look at the opposition party’s 100 positive policies and, “agriculture doesn’t have one”.

“If you want to know how much they care about Australian agriculture, see how many questions they ask in the chamber - about one per year,” he said.

“If you want to know how much they care about Australian agriculture, just have a look at them in every state; they’re on the side of the rats.

“If there’s someone pushing Green legislation; it’s the Labor party.

“If there’s someone pushing stricter tree clearing legislation; it’s the Labor party.

“If there’s someone coming up with greater restrictions on the export of livestock; it’s the Labor party.

“When we try to decentralise and have centres of excellence in agriculture, who opposes that? The Labor party.

“But when you actually look at them and say, ‘apart from commenting on what we’re trying to do, what are you actually going to do yourselves and what’s your policy agenda for agriculture?’ they have no answer.

“This is the Labor party - they have an agriculture policy for the people of Balmain and Annandale not for the people of Brewarrina and Armidale.”

Mr Joyce highlighted the Coalition’s continued delivery of policy initiatives like those contained in the $4 billion Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper handed down last year.

He also pointed to; more mobile black spots being repaired; opening nine new market destinations for live animal exports; free trade agreements; and tax measures like fencing and water write-offs and improved arrangements for Farm Management Deposit schemes.

“We’ve had more delivered under this government than we have for a very long time for the farm sector,” he said.

“Agriculture has been elevated to the second highest office in the land – we take it very, very seriously.”

One of this year’s biggest political developments this year was Mr Joyce’s ascent to his party’s leadership, replacing veteran Queensland MP Warren Truss despite a genuine backroom challenge from Riverina MP and now Small Business Minister Michael McCormack.

In rising to the Deputy Prime Minister’s position, he also maintained his firm grip on the agriculture portfolio having added water policy, to improve focus on farm outcomes, when the Coalition agreement was re-negotiated in late 2015 after Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister.

The charismatic former Queensland Senator also fought-off a bitter challenge to maintain his New England electorate in rural NSW for a second term during this year’s federal election campaign, against his arch nemesis and former local member and independent MP Tony Windsor.

While the Liberals lost 15 lower house seats at this year’s election, almost forcing another hung-parliament scenario, the Nationals’ representation increased by one, at Mr Joyce’s first election as leader, thanks to Damian Drum’s election in the Victorian rural seat of Murray.

Post-election the Nationals claimed that a deliberate grass-roots campaign, targeting practical messaging that appealed to rural Australians, had led to its success which included winning the critical Queensland rural seats of Capricornia and Flynn which helped deliver a slender majority government of just 76 seats.

Mr Fitzgibbon was offered an interview to contribute to the Fairfax Agricultural Media annual year in review article but declined.