THE Greens holding the balance of power in the Senate is good for farmers writes RICHARD DI NATALE

With the Greens set to hold the balance of power when the new Senate is seated on July 1 next year, Australians want to know what this will mean for them.

This is especially true for people living in regional Australia.

As I travelled regional Victoria during the election campaign, talking about our policies, I did encounter those who flatly disagreed with them. But I also encountered plenty of misconceptions that were easy to address.

In fact, the Greens and Australia's primary producers see eye-to-eye more often than you might think.

The Greens are on record, for example, as opposing managed investment schemes.

What was supposed to be a promising measure to expand our plantation resource has turned out to have a devastating impact on regional communities.

The Greens also support a register of foreign interests in our land and water supplies, so we know who is buying our most precious assets.

Along with many farmers, we're also disappointed when developers are given free reign to expand our cities by turning fertile farmland into unsustainable housing developments.

Of course some farmers are opposed to specific policies, like our position on live animal exports, but there are also many that agree with us.

The RSPCA supports a ban on live animal exports and the Australian Meat Industry Employees Union believes that our policy would create more jobs in Australia and add value to our export markets.

There has been widespread confusion about our marine parks policy. The evidence is that many of the world's fisheries are on the brink of collapse.

As a recreational fisherman, I want to make sure that Australia protects its fisheries so that they remain viable for generations to come.

Currently, marine reserves make up less than 5 per cent of Australian territorial waters, and an even smaller proportion of our coastline.

Our policy calls for less than a third of these to be designated as "no-take" zones. It's a sensible, science-based position that will ensure that our fish stocks remain healthy.

Regarding genetically modified crops, the Greens are taking a cautious approach. We want better food labelling so consumers can make informed choices.

We remain concerned about the over-aggressive use of intellectual property laws that can be used against farmers.

It's also of real concern that farmers who want to remain GM-free are having that choice taken away because some crops don't respect farm boundaries.

The current debate on water has created an artificial divide between farmers and environmentalists. There are fewer things more important than growing the nation's food and fibre and we also benefit when our river systems are healthy.

The Greens want to materialise the huge gains that are available through infrastructure upgrades and more efficient use of water so that our rivers and our growers are on a sustainable footing. When it comes to water buybacks, we support government purchase of allocations from willing sellers.

As a health professional living in regional Victoria, I'm proud to say that the Greens are the only major party that has made rural mental health a major election priority.

We have developed specific initiatives to develop a rural and regional mental health workforce and want to see much greater access to counselling services for people living in regional areas.

Unlike the Coalition, we support the National Broadband Network as we believe everybody in Australia deserves the opportunities this will bring, such as new avenues for e-health and distance learning.
 
In the Senate the Greens are determined to be constructive. When legislation comes before us, we will always consider it on its merits.

We will never knock anything back without proposing a constructive alternative.

Most Australians want and expect precisely this from the house of review, and we take that responsibility seriously.

This year, more Victorian farmers stood as candidates for the Greens than the National Party and a record number of Australians expressed their approval at the ballot box.

We are determined to keep faith with our electors. I encourage you to keep an eye on the Greens in the next few years, as we continue to deliver positive results for Australians living in regional areas.

  • Richard di Natale is a Greens senator-elect