Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week truly was a stellar week for regional and rural Tasmania, with Tasmanian farmers taking out four of the 10 categories at the Australian Farmer of the Year awards, as well as achieving the runner-up award in the RIRDC Rural Women's Award. Brian and Michele Lawrence from Meander in my electorate of Lyons won the Dairy Farmer of the Year category. In the category of Young Farmer of the Year, Cameron Moore from Scottsdale ended up placing third. The Farmer of the Year award was won by Matt Dunbabin from Dunalley, also in my electorate of Lyons. The Plant Biosecurity Farmer of the Year was won by Lindsay Bourke, whose operation is based at Sheffield, also in the electorate of Lyons. Lindsay is very well supported by his wife, Yeonsoon Bourke. Matt, winner of Diversification Farmer of the Year, is also ably supported by his wife, Vanessa.

Indeed, it was a stellar night, as I mentioned. Carol Bracken won the RIRDC Rural Women's Award for Tasmania. Carol and her husband Nathan have a 65-hectare property at Glengarry on the West Tamar in my electorate of Lyons. They run a hazelnut orchard that, in the last few years, has expanded from 5,000 trees and they have plans to expand that to 9,000 trees. She is indeed an inspiring young woman: a West Tamar councillor who is well engaged with her local community and a wonderful advocate for agribusiness, for women in business and for the state of Tasmania. As I mentioned, Matt Dunbabin, whom I have known for many years, won the Diversification Farmer of the Year as well as the Farmer of the Year award. Matt is a wool producer on a magnificent property: the Bangor property at Dunalley. He and his wife, Vanessa, have traditionally run a wool-growing business but have diversified into viticulture but also, in collaboration with Tom and Alice Gray, have set up a wonderful restaurant and tourism business on their property at Dunalley.

As I mentioned, Lindsay and Yeonsoon Bourke, the Plant Biosecurity Farmer of the Year, are honey and bee producers. This award recognises Lindsay's enduring efforts around plant and bee biosecurity in Australia. I was particularly pleased to see Brian and Michele Lawrence from Meander win the award for Australian Dairy Farmer of the Year. Their property is Janefield. This is a sector in which Tasmania particularly enjoys real competitive advantage in our ability to run grass-fed dairy operations at a very competitive and global costs.

In addition, I also attended the rural youth farmers of the year awards and my congratulations there go to Will McConnon and Marty McConnon, who won those awards.