Election punches begin to fly

These included some useful footwork around the development of a new Local Land Services (LLS) seasonal conditions reporting system and research to improve drought resilience of crops, which should help farmers in drought management.

However, some reflection was required on LLS, the government having had to recover from a self-inflicted blow earlier in the year about LLS elections.

Ms Hodgkinson had discussed with LLS chair of chairs John Macarthur-Stanham about ways to improve the process.

She also emphasised the integral role LLS now played played in helping to protect our primary industries from biosecurity threats.

“While our biosecurity in NSW is strong, much of the legislation in this space is out of date, clunky and in dire need of reform,” she said.

“To this end, I recently released details of a proposed new approach to protecting the State’s biosecurity status - a comprehensive framework that will be used to form a single piece of legislation, the new NSW Biosecurity Act.”

She said this new Act would slash red tape for farmers, and wholly or partially replace some 14 pieces of existing legislation.

Her “rope-a-dope” move was the crucial element of the new Act, which included new obligations that require anybody who deals with a biosecurity matter – or whose actions may create a biosecurity risks - to take all reasonable steps to eliminate that risk.

She also saved a big swing for animal activists who trespass onto farms, particularly intensive operations.

She said those who illegally film footage and disrupt farming activities created an enormous biosecurity risk.

“These intensive farming operations are highly susceptible to viruses and diseases, which is why they have stringent measures in place to control traffic,”she said.

LOCAL Land Services (LLS) is a debacle, says shadow minister for resources and primary industries Steve Whan.

He says rural ratepayers have lost any real say, with a majority of the regions’ boards appointed, not elected.

“The election process was botched, with less than five per cent of eligible people voting – an outcome that fails to provide fair representation,” he said.

“The LLS is a well-trodden conservative model. Services hived off by the State government will now be funded by annual grants. If we are lucky that funding will keep up with the Consumer Price Index, but most likely it will fall back in real terms.”

He said the Nationals made big promises on native vegetation and three and half years on draft self-assessment codes that make things more complicated were all that had been delivered.

The government’s changes have been about cutting funds and jobs – pure and simple.

“During the millennium drought NSW Labor provided $535 million in drought assistance to NSW farmers.”­­­

Mr Whan said if Labor had followed the same line as the Coalition’s new policies when in power, government would have saved itself $300m.

He also targeted cuts to biosecurity and research staff.

“NSW builds its international export success on two things: being clean and disease free. The cuts put both these advantages at risk,” he said.

“Labor’s focus for agriculture will be in taking advantage of the opportunities to increase production and exports of agricultural products, particularly elaborately transformed product.

Mr Whan said Australia had missed the boat when it came to packaged and processed foods.

He also said while the Coalition had talked up its rebuilding of 17 rural bridges, Labor had funded the replacement of 400 rural bridges during the previous eight years.