With one year to go until Victorians go to the polls, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is reminding all potential candidates to consider the enormous role rural communities play in our state and the farmers who help those communities thrive.
“Victorian farms are the most productive in our nation, nearly eight times more productive than the national average. We contribute $20b to the local economy and indirectly employ more than 150,000 people. Imagine what that could become with some forward thinking and investment in the right places,” said VFF President Brett Hosking.
“Removing the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund, development that puts food and fibre production first, restoring our roads and freight networks, tackling rural crime and ensuring our communities and families have access to services to help them succeed are great places to start.”
“The introduction of the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund was devastating for our farmers. This is a huge cash-grab imposed on farming businesses and it will amount to tens of thousands of dollars stripped from farmers and communities. We must see it scrapped.”
“In every corner of Victoria, the state of the roads, concerns regarding new mines and energy infrastructure and spiralling on-farm crime, including the theft of livestock and equipment and even farm invasions are huge issues.”
“Regional Victoria matters. It’s home to 1.6 million people, more than the population of Adelaide. The genuine lack of future-focussed investment into our industry and communities is a major factor to why we’re seeing massive service holes, such as childcare services. “Mr Hosking said.
Despite these issues, Mr Hosking said the next 12 months represented a golden opportunity to use Victoria’s agriculture industry and regional communities as a vehicle for growth.
“Victoria has a mountain of challenges and our agricultural sector has the potential to grow, expand, and increase our economic impact on the state whilst improving sustainability and liability for all Victorians.”
“Our farmers are world-class producers supplying markets that are hungry for high-quality Victorian food and fibre right around the globe. With the right policy settings and investment, our farmers can do what they do best and we can grow our reputation as Australia’s rural and agricultural economic powerhouse.”
“It’s time for every political party to step-up,” Mr Hosking said.
