THE federal government had failed rural Australia in this week's budget, Victorian farmers say.
"This week's budget is disappointing for farmers and people living in rural Victoria," Victorian Farmers' Federation president Andrew Broad said.
The Federal Government had missed an opportunity to make a real investment in the productive capacity of Australian agriculture, Mr Broad said. "This Budget has failed to invest in the practical and social infrastructure we need to ensure a more even spread of population across our nation.”
“In his Budget Speech Treasurer Wayne Swan spoke variously about building, expanding and investing in Australia’s productive capacity," Mr Broad said. "The reality for Australian farmers is very different. Not one new dollar has been committed to growing our industry in this next year.”
While Victorian farmers welcomed a $110 million commitment to re-rail freight lines between Albury to Melbourne to Geelong, this would have limited benefits for farmers given its distance from grain production areas, Mr Broad said. "This is nation building-lite for Victoria in a Budget that has committed $900 million to rail upgrades in other states.”
Caring for our Country and the related Landcare initiative were close to the hearts of the many Victorian farmers who were dedicated environmentalists. "I am sceptical about how an $81 million cut to this program will not have serious consequences for service delivery.”
There had also been a complete lack of planning for Australia’s growing population, Mr Broad said.
"Farmers have long called for the investment we need to diversify regional economies and attract sustainable population growth in the bush.
The government's pledge to ensure that every Australian could see a local GP ‘whenever they need one, particularly late at night or on a weekend’ was a huge commitment, particularly for rural Australians, and must be honoured, Mr Broad said.
"The health of those living in country communities is a serious matter and promises of this nature should not be made lightly. Farmers will hold the government to account on this important commitment.”
Farmers should also get priority in the $660 million skills package announced in the budget, especially those considering agriculture as a career, Mr Broad said. "Skills are the key to maintaining a sustainable workforce for any industry. Succession planning is critical to agriculture and skills are also a key component of this challenge."
Mr Broad said the government had promised a ‘no-frills’ budget that would be short on spending, "and this is one of the only recent promises they have been able to deliver".
"Short term economic responsibility is good, but this budget has failed to invest in Australia’s future," he said. "This is especially the case for our industry.”
