Brumby Labor Government stands by Victoria’s farmers

The Brumby Labor Government will continue to stand by Victorian farmers through the longest drought on record, with the 2009 State Budget outlining more than $68.2 million in initiatives to support farmers and drive new growth in the agricultural sector.

The Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, said the Brumby Labor Government was delivering strong leadership in tough global times to build strong farming communities for the future.

“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to ensure Victoria’s farming families, businesses and communities continue to thrive in the face of global challenges,” Mr Helper said.

“Through our $205 million Future Farming Strategy we have set out new investment to boost farming services and productivity, help the farming sector respond to change, drive innovation and capture new market opportunities.

“And the Brumby Labor Government will continue to stand by our farmers in these tough times. We know farming communities are doing it tough. Prolonged drought, water shortages, the strengthening of overseas market competition and changing climate conditions have created unprecedented challenges.

“That’s why we’ve put in place more than $400 million in drought response measures over the past three years to support our farmers through these tough times. At the same time, we are making the investments needed now to better target farming services and position the sector for growth.

“Our Government is securing Victoria’s water supply with a $2.8 billion commitment to water projects such as the Food Bowl Modernisation Project, Sugarloaf pipeline and the desalination plant that are transforming the state and reducing our reliance on rainfall as we face the reality of climate change.”

The 2009 State Budget includes an additional $298,000 contribution to the Murray Darling Basin Authority to improve the health of the Murray-Darling Basin, an extra $42 million for concessions for water and sewerage bills and a further $2.4 million for a water-saving retrofit program.

Mr Helper said Future Farming Strategy initiatives included:

• $26.5 million to boost productivity through new technology and changes in farming practices - including the development of new generations of drought, cold and salt resistant crops, improved plant and animal disease control, and new technologies to lift productivity;
• Delivery of $77 million for investment into research, development and practice change;
• $11.4 million to help farm businesses plan for and adapt to climate change and to provide farmers in key industries with new technologies and strategies to adapt their farming systems to future climatic conditions;
• $24 million to manage weeds and pests, including new action to assist farm businesses to strengthen land and water management;
• $12 million to support farmers and rural communities in securing their future and adjusting to change, including a new National Centre for Farmer Health in Hamilton;
• $11 million to help farm businesses capture new domestic and international market opportunities; and
• Farm Services Victoria – a new division in the Department of Primary Industries – to deliver services that are better tailored and targeted to meet the needs of farm businesses and their families.

Key Brumby Government farming sector support measure investments in 2008-09 include:

• $30 million for an additional contribution to Exceptional Circumstances (EC) drought relief payments;
• $15 million to provide eligible Victorian farmers with up to 50 per cent subsidies off their municipal rates;
• $6 million to provide individual grants of up to $3000 for farmers to implement projects to improve their on-farm productivity;
• $2.2 million in drought extension support to assist farmers in the most severe drought-affected areas of the state make informed decisions about their future;
• $1.9 million to support agricultural business who employ apprentices, with more than 660 businesses already succeeding in receiving grants in this year’s program; and
• $520,000 to extend the case management approach to support farmers through drought and adjustment.

Mr Helper said over the past year Brumby Labor Government had also immediately responded to agricultural threats through investments including:

• $7.2 million to protect Victoria from a potentially catastrophic locust plague, installing a locust control centre in northern Victoria which took more than 2000 phone reports during the height of the locust threat;
• $3.5 million to inspect more than 25,000 properties across Victoria to limit the potentially devastating impact of Queensland Fruit Fly in metropolitan and regional Victoria; and
• $1.9 million to assist potato growers in the wake of the Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) outbreak.

Mr Helper said the Brumby Labor Government would continue to build on its strong record of working with farming communities to address seasonal and biosecurity issues, and responding to relief and emergency management issues.

The Brumby Labor Government will also continue to roll out crucial water projects to secure the future of agricultural regions, including the Australia’s largest water saving project - the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project – which was allocated $600 million in last year’s State Budget and is already saving water for farmers, rivers and Melbourne; and the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline, which will be delivered six years ahead of schedule.