Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister please outline to the Senate the investments the government has made in supporting Landcare? Given the support Landcare has received across successive Labor governments, can the minister outline any further ways the government can recognise and support Landcare in Australia?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle for his question. Labor governments have a strong tradition of investing in Landcare and supporting the flagship Caring for our Country program. Landcare and community groups play a vital role in the delivery of natural resource management rights on the ground. Since 2008 the government has funded nearly 1,000 competitive grants worth over $110 million through Landcare. Former Labor Prime Minister Mr Bob Hawke declared the 1990s as the decade of Landcare. His declaration symbolised the investment that the Hawke Labor government delivered for sustainable agriculture and environmental practices.

This is why I am pleased to be able to announce to the Senate that the Gillard government will be naming a new agricultural honour after former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The Bob Hawke Landcare Award will recognise an outstanding individual effort in encouraging Australians to adopt sustainable and productive agricultural practices. The winner of this award will receive a prize of up to $50,000 to develop their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management and will have an honorary position on the Australian Landcare Council for a period of two years. This award will support and recognise the hardworking and innovative land managers and volunteers who live and breathe Landcare. It will champion those who create sustainable farm practices for the benefit of local areas and the whole system.

Landcare volunteers range from kids to retirees, surfers to farmers and CEOs to students, with over 6,000 Landcare and Coastcare groups nationwide. Landcare provides an opportunity for like-minded individuals to unify under a shared desire to create positive changes in their communities. These individuals recognise— (Time expired)

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time to debate this is after question time, on both sides.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is wonderful, Minister Ludwig. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the announcement he has just made, can the minister outline the investments the government is making in the Labor flagship Caring for our Country program?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle for his supplementary question. This government was proud to announce in the budget that Caring for our Country would be committed for another five years, securing $2.2 billion in funding from 2013-14 right through to 2017-18. This takes the total funding allocated by this government since July 2008 to over $4.2 billion. This commitment by the Gillard Labor government to continue this program for another five years means that work will continue to be carried out by farming communities to manage and protect our natural environment. It provides certainty to the sector. It is good news for farmers, good news for land managers and good news for the environment. This funding will deliver, for Landcare groups, sustainable agricultural innovation, weeds and pest eradication and management, as well as the regional delivery of better practices that will protect our natural resources for food production for future generations. (Time expired)

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Is the minister aware of any alternative policy approaches to these successful programs?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle for his second supplementary question. It asked me to address any alternative policy approaches for the flagship Caring for our Country program. I have reviewed the track record of the Liberals and Nationals and concluded that their policy is simply to continue to peddle fear and misinformation. Before the federal budget the shadow minister for agriculture, Mr John Cobb, was running around like Henny Penny, pushing cheap falsehoods that Caring for our Country was going to be axed. He spared no effort in trying to convince the public that this Labor flagship program would be cut from the budget. But what actually happened in the budget was that the government announced a $2.2 billion investment in the program. That is hardly axing the program! I suppose Mr Cobb was too busy thinking of his own proposed budget to find the $70 billion in cuts to services and— (Time expired)