Two of South Australia’s peak agricultural bodies have revealed their policy priorities as the state election approaches in March.
Livestock SA’s priorities centre round the SA Red Meat and Wool Blueprint 2030, with a focus on strengthening the state of the sector in a long-term capacity.
Livestock SA chief executive officer Travis Tobin said the body was calling on all political parties to commit to policies to support long-term strength, resilience and competitiveness of the state’s livestock industry.
“Policy settings matter, and getting them right is critical to the future of the industry and the broader state economy,” he said.
“Livestock SA has formally presented government and opposition with a clear, evidence-based set of priorities which focus on practical, investable actions rather than aspirational wish lists.
“The livestock industry has put forward a clear plan and now it is up to political parties to demonstrate they understand and are prepared to back what underpins South Australia’s economy.”
Some priorities include calls to develop frameworks enabling producers to fully participate in environmental and natural capital markets, addressing the sizeable freight route maintenance backlog, and establishing a rural finance and development agency.
Other priorities involve improvements to biosecurity infrastructure and addressing the workforce shortage through measures designed to cut red-tape, calling for a streamlined, single-window rural approvals pathway, stronger alignment with national frameworks, and targeted investment in workforce attraction, skills development and succession planning.
Grain Producers SA (GPSA) reaffirmed its priorities which cover drought resilience, infrastructure, biosecurity, chemical access, connectivity, workforce, protection of productive agricultural land and more.
GPSA chief executive officer Brad Perry said the organisation’s election asked were designed to deliver tangible outcomes on-farm and in regional communities.
“These priorities are grounded in what grain producers are dealing with right now and will be into the future,” Mr Perry said.
“We have shared these priorities with all political parties well ahead of the election, and we are now looking for clear commitments that recognise the scale and importance of South Australia’s grain industry.
“We’re pleased the State Government has backed GPSA’s call for state-facilitated low-interest drought loans, giving grain producers who need it most the ability to keep their businesses running and people employed, following multiple dry seasons.”
Mr Perry said continued investment and policy certainty were essential if the industry was to keep delivering strong economic and regional benefits, particularly in the face of ongoing challenges.
GPSA’s key election priorities include: commissioning a statewide rail and port freight and export study, the creation of a Farm Gate Access Road Funding Program to focus on first and last mile, establishing education and assistance programs for grain producers through any APVMA crop protection regulatory change transitions, establishing a one-billion-dollar drought and emergency support program, and creating a $20 million mobile blackspot program, targeting priority areas for farming and safety connectivity.
GPSA have also called for increased biosecurity investment, undertaking an audit to provide protection for productive cropping land from housing development and urban sprawl, investing in statewide weather, spray and inversion data, and an emergency service levy exemptions for grain producers who are Country Fire Service volunteers.
