Welcome to GPA’s monthly newsletter, for February 2025.
Firstly, let me start by acknowledging the achievement of GPA Western Region Grower Director, Duncan Young, for winning the Weekly Times Coles Cropping Farmer of the Year Award, 2024. HERE The awards were held in Melbourne earlier this month.
This award typifies Duncan’s character. He’s the ultimate quiet achiever and someone who gives his own time and energy to represent the greater good of his peers and local community. Here’s an article by GPA from July 2022, when Duncan was recognised, with a certificate of distinguished service for his contributions to WAFarmers over many years. HERE
Another significant result this month was the Federal Government’s Biosecurity Tax being scrapped, marking the deserved end to this fundamentally flawed policy proposal. The Agriculture Biosecurity Protection Levies Bill was officially withdrawn from the Senate notice paper on February 13 HERE.
The Biosecurity Tax was first announced in the 2023 Federal Budget – blindsiding the farm sector and levy-paying producers; especially grain producers who were set to pay about 60 per cent ($26 million) of the $50 million total to be raised, at the original 10 per cent rate. The fatally flawed proposal subsequently faced strong and sustained opposition, with key moves led by GPA’s unambiguous policy advocacy shaping the debate.
This included GPA coordinating a joint letter, co-signed by 50-agricultural representative groups, which was sent to Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the then Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt, in late 2023. HERE
With this proposed flawed policy now defeated, it’s worth revisiting one of GPA’s media statements, made after the strong opposition expressed during debate in the Lower House, in March last year. This indicated that members of parliament had taken time to meet and speak with producers who were set to be hit with the new tax, on top of their existing levies in a policy designed via fundamentally flawed consultation and assessed the proposal on merit.
“This proposed Biosecurity Tax is now on life support, with the bills set to make their way into the Senate in an ambulance with sirens blaring, to undergo emergency operations,” he said. “From day one, GPA has said the devil’s in the detail of this proposal and yesterday’s debate clearly demonstrated this fact. The more independent scrutiny that’s applied to this policy, the more questions it raises, which continue to go unanswered.
“A robust process is needed, and radical overhaul required, before this proposal can actually pass the fairness and equity tests and be supported by producers.
“Cosmetic surgery won’t cut it – unless this is all just another way of making farmers pay for another levy that’s being disguised as a tax, to raise funds for consolidated government revenue.”
Again – as stated in last week’s media statement – I’d like to genuinely thank those members of parliament who took time to sit down and talk to farmers about their serious concerns, and actually listened to them and then stood up to fight and oppose the Biosecurity Tax.
The Coalition has been particularly strong on this matter, understanding the policy design failures, led by the strong voices of rural members who spoke with farmers in their local electorates. We’re also thankful for the support other representatives provided in achieving this win, including independent members and the Australian Greens, led by Agriculture Spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson.
For anyone interested, here’s the list of 50 farmer representative groups who actually co-signed the joint letter sent in late 2023 HERE
GPA Policy Council meeting will be held in Perth on March 20. This will give our state grain producer leaders the opportunity to gather and discuss key matters heading into the 2025 Federal Election, and follow through on other policy priorities including: APVMA reviews/capacity; trade and market access and Grains Australia consolidation; land access and management issues, mining social license; GRDC matters; biosecurity and Grains Biosecurity Plan implementation.
Barry Large GPA Chair
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