The impact of severe storms across South Australia along with long term issues affecting the agricultural sector will be on the agenda at the Agricultural Industry Advisory Council’s (AIAC) meeting in Glenelg this week.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, said the meeting was an opportunity for industry experts to provide input into policies supporting the growth of Australian agriculture and for industry leaders to let government know what works on the ground.
“Given we are meeting in Glenelg current issues affecting South Australian agriculture will be considered—particularly in light of recent severe storm activity across the state and the failure of the state’s energy network to provide adequate back-up,” Minister Joyce said.
“Wild thunderstorms happen often, but I have never seen a state completely and utterly blacked out, for which repercussions continue to be felt by the whole state, including the agricultural industry.”
Minister Joyce said the AIAC would also examine longer term issues affecting Australian agriculture, including the strength of live exports, the development of new free trade agreements with Indonesia and India, the establishment a fair and transparent approach to foreign investment.
“Our live exports have grown by more than $1 billion since 2012–13 to be worth nearly $2 billion in last financial year—that’s money that our farmers and the nation can now bank on.
“And with three new free trade agreements under our belt, we are now focusing on Indonesia and India to ensure that our farmers can continue to expand export opportunities. This meeting will look at how we can continually improve those positions.
“Discussions will also focus on the Murray Darling Basin Plan and the Northern Basin Review, as well as AIAC’s role as part of the industry consultation process to restore integrity to the Wine Equalisation Tax to better target support for small wine producers in rural and regional Australia.
“We are working to build on measures already implemented through informed policies such as the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper to take practical action that makes a real difference at the farmgate.”
