Chris Trevor (Flynn, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. How is the government helping farmers to prepare for climate change? How is this approach different from that of the past 12 years?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flynn for the question. The Australian government recognises the reality of climate change around the globe, what that is doing and the challenges that it is presenting within Australia. This is also something that is well understood by Australian farmers, both on the ground and at the peak body level. We have listened to the National Farmers Federation, who have said that the NFF believe climate change to be ‘possibly the biggest risk facing Australian farmers in the coming century’. In the same way, we have listened to farmers when we have met them in the field. For example, in the New England region, while travelling with the member for New England, we spoke to Michael Vickery, a fine-wool producer. He talked about the work that he had done on his farm to improve soil carbon—lifting it by six per cent from when he bought the property in the mid-eighties to 1991.

There are of course other views that have occurred during the last 12 years. Some were presented in spectacular fashion on Lateline last night. On Lateline last night we heard a view on the Murray-Darling Basin and the crisis there that it had absolutely nothing to do with climate change. We had a new argument presented last night which said, ‘Okay, the climate is changing but the weather remains unaffected’—no impact on the weather at all—and ‘You can look at any impact on the weather out there and, yes, these things are happening globally but somehow Australia remains blissfully immune.’ Given a choice between listening to Australia’s farmers or listening to the Leader of the Opposition, the government has chosen to listen to Australia’s farmers.

A lot of the work that Australia’s farmers have done for many years now has a knock-on benefit in terms of dealing with the impacts of climate change. When Landcare was commenced under the previous Labor government, originally it was acknowledging the good environmental management that was performed by our farmers. Then, as salinity became an issue, Landcare work also helped with salinity. As we went into the drought, it also helped with soil moisture, and now that work, which has been done for so many years on properties around the nation, helps with the building of soil carbon. This is National Landcare Week, and 91 per cent of farmers who have had some involvement with Landcare have made changes to the way they manage their farms in ways that do help to deal with the challenges of the future.

In addition to this, though, the government realises that there is a need for further adaptation and adjustment assistance for Australia’s farmers. That is why we are committed to Australia’s farming future, whether it be through research, through adaptation or through adjustment. We tripled the additional funding available for the Climate Change and Productivity Research Program from $15 million to $46.2 million. We also announced the Farm Ready Program—$26½ million to help train farmers in dealing with these challenges of the future and to make sure that the best science makes it from the lab to the farm. Of course, there is adjustment money as well, including grants of up to 5½ thousand dollars for business planning.

Australia is not immune from these difficult global conditions. Farmers are facing a host of global challenges and a whole range of input costs, making it tougher at every level. They have had some relief today, which I hope gets welcomed by those members opposite. Today’s announcement in terms of the input cost impact of debt is extraordinary for farmers. Average farm debt in Australia for 2006-07 was around $702,000—up from 2001-02 when it was only $238,000. Today’s announcement, if passed in full, will lead to a reduction in interest payments of around $1,755 a year per farm, or $146.25 every month, based on the average farm debt level. I certainly look forward to the opportunity where we look at the challenges of the future and the challenges of the present and hope at the end of question time we see the Leader of the Opposition stand up in this place and welcome the interest rates announcement.