WATER security, infrastructure, planning laws, red tape, country roads and the removal of high taxes on agriculture are among key issues for leading rural interest groups.
The potential for policy change to reinvigorate industries and dramatically boost the sector's economic performance have been outlined in election-policy documents.
The key groups representing the $5 billion annual agriculture sector include the South Australian Farmers Federation, the Horticultural Coalition of SA, the SA Wine Industry Association and the Dairy Farmers Association.
SA Farmers Federation chief executive Carol Vincent said the rural sector had largely been ignored by both major parties in the campaign.
At the forefront of its policy needs are a rewrite of the Mining Act, more spending on research and development and an extension of the First Home-Owners Grant to include young farmers.
Ms Vincent said the federation's policy document, promoted in a full-page advertisement in The Advertiser on February 20, had received no reaction from the major parties.
"But we've had enormous positive feedback to the advertisement from city and country people," she said. "We've had non-members ringing up asking for documents so they can write to politicians."
Ms Vincent said the federation's policy document called for fundamental changes on issues that were threatening farmers' capacity to maintain the multi-billion dollar food sector.
Other issues it raises include abolishing stamp duty, investing further in rural infrastructure and helping attract young people to rural communities.
Ms Vincent said the federation was receiving numerous phone calls from country people saying they had been forgotten by both major parties. "Political parties are shortsighted in not seeing food production as a relevant issue," she said.
"Ordinary people get food security and we need to remember that agriculture is massively importantly and although we may have had some bad years, we have the capacity to grow massively."
The Horticulture Coalition, representing 13 fruit and vegetable organisations, questioned in its policy manifesto why major issues still existed that threatened the growth, vitality, viability and health of the horticulture industry and all South Australians.
It said the projected growth of state, national and international populations meant that securing food production and supply was the major issue for the next decade.
The coalition said political will was needed to secure food production in SA and urged the next government to work with it to achieve long-term productivity growth and to secure food production and supply by establishing a 30-year horticulture plan.
Rural SA election wish lists:
South Australian Farmers Federation
- - rewrite of the mining act
- - abolition of stamp duty
- - significant government investment in research and development and an end to the cuts and looking toward private enterprise to provide rural infrastructure investment
- - water allocation planning
- - continuation of state drought and recovery package
- - River Murray management to immediately go to federal authority and remove all State Government interference
- - removal of red tape impediments to doing business and maintaining property rights
- - incentives to attract and maintain young people in agriculture and rural communities
- - campaigning to build strong relationship between the country and city
The Horticultural Coalition of SA
Requests that each political party fully endorses the Blue Print for the South Australian Horticultural Industry that has been provided to all politicians.
1. Planning
Form an advisory group between Government and industry to help implement the primary production components of the Greater Adelaide 30 Year Plan and the appropriate Regional Plans.
2. Biosecurity
Retention, maintenance and continued funding of Plant Health, including all fruit fly programs within PIRSA with highly skilled technical personnel and appropriate resources to protect the $1.1 billion food sector.
3. Water Security
Critical water needs for the production of food to supply South Australia to 2020 and beyond must be the third pillar alongside water for the environment and Critical Human Needs - in any Water Allocation Plan.
4. Food labeling
Country of Origin labeling be further expanded and better policed to ensure consumers have the best available information to select locally grown produce
5. Infrastructure Investment
Forward planning of new infrastructure, detailing costs, dates and priorities for each food production region within 12 months.
6. Abolition of Land tax, payroll tax and stamp duty for horticultural businesses
7. Health Promotion
$1 million per year for the next five years for health programs.
8. Research & Development
Immediately reverse the trend of reducting resources, people, funds and facilities that is reducing the research, development research, development and extension and service within SA.
9. Workforce development
Horticulture and government must work in partnership in workforce planning and development to better attract and retain skilled workers to match labour supply and demand. This requires flexible and accessible training is available across the state and ensures the integration of employment and skills demand with industry development.
10. Environmental
A greater acceptance and reflection of the triple bottom line principles of economy, social and environment in the Natural Resource Management Plans.
Grow SA, Virginia Horticulture Centre
Grow SA supports the policy statements of the Horticulture Coalition of SA and also believes the following items are critically important to the industry, state economy and food security.
WATER SECURITY
Critical water needs for the production of food to supply South Australia to 2020 and beyond must be the third pillar alongside water for the environment and Critical Human Needs in any Water Allocation Plan. Supply of critical water needs for horticulture must be an annual consideration by government because it is critically important to the State economy and food security.
FOOD LABELLING
Develop Product Standards and/or Codes of Practice relating to food labeling in partnership with industry and the government. Promote programs to ensure consumers can identify and support locally produced produce and ensure Country of Origin labeling requirements are better policed in the SA retail sector.
BIOSECURITY
Retention and maintenance of the Plant Health section in PIRSA and retention of the Fruit Fly Program including trapping grids and road blocks, both permanent and mobile.
TAXATION
Elimination of payroll tax, land tax and stamp duty for the horticulture sector.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Ensure a functioning research and development chain and the immediate establishment of an Advisory Council to review research and development and establish and co-ordinate a plan for the future.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The State Strategic Plan requires a new strategy to maintain the highest level of local food production and supply within South Australia.
WORKFORCE
The horticulture industry and government must work in partnership in workforce planning and development to better attract and retain skilled workers.
PLANNING RIGHT TO FARM
Establishment of the SA Horticulture Planning Advisory Group between government and industry to assist with the identification and protection of the necessary primary production land to ensure food production and supply is secured for the future.
HEALTH
Allocation of at least $1 million per year for the next five years for an industry based lead agency working with SA Health to maximise industry programs.
ENVIRONMENT
The establishment of a partnership between government, the NRM Council, NRM Boards and industry to develop a South Australia based Horticulture Environmental Stewardship Program.
SA DAIRY FARMERS ASSOCIATION
- - Inclusion of plantation forestry into water allocation plans.
- - Seeks support for a project to determine the best way to re-hydrate the Murray River Swamps.
- - Review the decision to cut the Environmental Land Management Allocation for the River Murray Swamps.
- - Lift funding for dairy industry development.
- - Improve access for B-Double trucks.
- - A fair go for rural roads and rural public transport.
- - Review of the cross border water agreement with Victoria.
- - Reduce State Government taxes on business.
- - Improve regional planning.
- - Increased investment in helping the industry to manage climate change.
South Australian Wine Industry Association Incorporated
- - Water - ready access to quantity and quality of water resources for irrigators in the wine industry and examine the Water Allocation Plan process and deal with the impediments in the timely delivery of plans.
- - Taxation - reduction in payroll tax, further reform land tax and support the wine industry's position in response to the outcomes of the Henry Tax Review.
- - Export assistance - tangible support in developing new markets for wine and instigate programs aimed at improving export performance
- - Employment - ensure that an adequate supply of labour is available in regional wine areas and resolve the SA issue of Sunday and public holidays and its interaction with the national employment standards and in SA deliver its part of a nationally consistent Act and Regulations for Australian industry in Occupational Health and Safety laws.
- - Regional Incentives - for all regional communities.
- - Climate Change commit to a further sector agreement in the wine industry.
- - Wine Business - clearly articulate a program of assistance to support the sector's short term adjustment and longer term performance.
- - Planning issues - ensure agricultural land is protected from urban encroachment in wine regions.
- - Infrastructure - act decisively in road development issues in regional areas to support and protect key wine regions as tourism destinations.
- - Red Tape - ensure that government also identifies red tape reductions for business and examines red tape as part of the legislative process.
