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The AgForce Cattle Board has set their priorities for 2020-2021 based on the challenges faced in 2019, the Cattle Board’s involvement with the Red Meat 2030 Strategy, and member and stakeholder feedback. These priorities are not set in stone. The Cattle Board will constantly engage with members and others for feedback and suggestions. This priority setting is very important as results need to make a difference to the future of our cattle businesses.
In 2020-2021 we will focus on:
At a time when the opportunity exists to diversify into or continue with small livestock enterprises, the AgForce Sheep & Wool Board are encouraging new entrants and lobbying governments and industry by:
The Sheep & Wool Board maintain active engagement and involvement with the industry’s national peak bodies, with a representative on WoolProducers Australia’s Board and ‘Health and Welfare’ Committee, and representatives on Sheep Producers Australia’s four policy committees of ‘Marketing, Market Access and Trade’, ‘Product Integrity’, ‘Health and Welfare’ and ‘Research, Development and Adoption’.
AgForce Grains has five key priority areas for 2019-2020, including stamp duty removal from multi-peril crop insurance, supply of reliable and affordable farm inputs, transport and supply chain costs, high value agriculture, and water infrastructure investment.
With a review underway with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), AgForce will be working to ensure that the GHMS remains in place in Queensland to provide grain producers with the flexibility they need to cart their grain. This well-functioning scheme is a great collaboration between industry and government and is vital to Queensland’s grains sector.
Availability of farm inputs remains a priority for AgForce. With droughts, floods, bushfires and global pandemics, we need to ensure our members can access what they need to produce world class food and fibre. AgForce is working with the National Farmers Federation and other peak bodies on improving the structures so that we are not left short. Without things like fuel, fertiliser, seed, and chemicals, agriculture cannot continue.
AgForce has developed a comprehensive policy platform for the October 2020 State Election. As part of AgForce’s Stand Up For Regional Queensland campaign, we will focus on growing understanding of broadacre producers and their communities amongst political parties and candidates. As we head into four-year fixed Parliamentary terms, we will seek a broad commitment of support to advance the wellbeing of farming families, achieve sustainable and profitable farming enterprises, and secure the liveability and prosperity of our rural communities and the state.
AgForce continues to assist with promoting northern development, especially through the AgForce Grains Board’s efforts to establish a northern cropping sector. AgForce is working with the Cooperative Research Centre for Northern Australian on a project to de-risk broadacre cropping options in northern Queensland along with QAAFI/UQ, Radicle Seeds Australia, Northern Gulf Resource Management Group, and Elders. This project proposes a participatory on-farm program with growers driving the RD&E activities to identify best crop and management options and bridge gaps between present and potential yields. The research undertaken will assist building farmers’ skills and identifying high profit and low risk options in broadacre cropping by trialling sorghum, maize, and forage crops.
AgForce will continue to strengthen access to water by working with the Federal and Queensland Governments to improve GAB sustainability program structuring for bore owners to facilitate their completion of all remaining capping and piping work. Our Water Committee will also seek to guide the development and implementation of the State’s water metering and measuring project to ensure water user privacy, and that practical science and risk-based settings are used. New water infrastructure across the State for both urban and agriculture needs, including further sustainable development of northern Queensland, is also a focus.
AgForce continues to promote policies that strengthen and build farm businesses. We will be focussing on:
Farmers are the best environmental stewards. AgForce will continue the quest to demonstrate environmental outcomes along with productive landscapes can be achieved without prescriptive, mandatory Reef regulations. AgForce does not support regulations that require a licence to farm. This year, we are working closely with AgForce’s Stand Up for Regional Queensland campaign and other advocacy groups to achieve best outcomes for agribusinesses across the Reef catchments, whilst still caring for our regional communities and the Reef.
In the next year, Queensland and AgForce members will face the biggest shakeup in native title law since Wik, as indigenous groups seek compensation from the State for historical tenure actions. As the State of Queensland grapples with what we understand is a multi-million dollar liability following the landmark Timber Creek decision made in 2019, AgForce is working to ensure that Queensland producers don’t foot the bill for these historical actions as we see more compensation claims lodged in the Federal Court.
Through your valued AgForce membership, you know that AgForce will continue to:
This year, the AgForce Connectivity and Social Policy Committee is keen to work with like-minded organisations to tackle not only the connectivity issues in the bush, but also some of the social ones. We know why living in the bush is so rewarding, yet many of our rural towns are struggling. We are looking at how we can collaborate with key rurally focused groups to undertake a range of surveys to help piece together why people live where they live and how we can make the bush more attractive.
AgForce will keep advocating for better telecommunications services in the bush as a means towards better community outcomes. We will also look to become closely involved in designing the Digital Tech Hub, including knowledge sharing technical support positions in regional Queensland. AgForce will also work to see:
In 2021, AgForce will continue to advocate for unlocking key strategic trade routes through further infrastructure investment and maintenance that links road, rail and port. This includes advocating for further funding to Queensland’s priority roads and bridges and promoting the role of infrastructure projects as a crucial part of the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will also continue to advocate for the reduction and improvement of regulation associated with the transport industry, including improved access to the network. This will involve continuing engagement with the ongoing Heavy Vehicle National Law Review. AgForce will seek to be involved in the freight task discussion and continue to work collaboratively with agencies and other stakeholders to ensure primary producer’s needs are met.
We will also continue to engage with the Federal Government and the ARTC on the Inland Rail project on behalf of affected members to ensure robust, evidence-based route selection, full and fair compensation for affected landholders and securing the maximum amount of access for, and economic benefit to, Queensland agriculture.
This year the newly created Safety and Workforce Committee will turn their attention to securing outcomes for members on workforce issues. We are actively participating in the National Agricultural Workforce Strategy in order to highlight the broadacre-specific workforce issues that members face, and going forward we will prioritise making sure industry training needs are met (especially through the Longreach and Emerald Colleges), promoting the industry as a fulfilling and secure career choice, and helping members with individual industrial relations queries to make sure they have access to a well-trained, productive and happy workforce.
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