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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-14 Daily Xml
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FOOD SECURITY

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (15:36): I raise a most important issue again today, that of food security and, most important of all, how Labor has done nothing but create food insecurity. I first raised this issue in the house about four years ago, sadly to deaf ears across the chamber. My words were not lost, and now the media share my concern regarding food security.

I feel that this issue is as important as another major issue that I have been involved with, that is, the serious issue of drug driving. Like this issue of food security, the government was very reticent to do anything about it. Food security, I remind the house, is the ability of a country to provide enough food for all of its people and to strive to be at least self-sufficient so that we will never ever have to rely on other countries for food to feed our people in times of shortage, famine, droughts, wars and other international events.

Australia has always been a net exporter of food; that is, we produce more than we need and we earn export dollars by selling our surpluses. Why is it an issue now? Because of government policy we are producing less and importing more every year. I draw the house's attention to a recent article in The Advertiser, where it was reported on 6 June this year, and I quote:

Australia faces severe food shortages in 10 years if governments don't immediately act to protect producers.

The article then describes our current situation, and I quote again:

For the first time in decades, Australia's food and grocery manufacturing industry dropped from a $4.5 billion surplus in 2004-05 to a $1.8 billion deficit in 2009-10. At any time, up to 50 per cent of processed and packaged foods are imported.

Sadly, Labor has chosen to ignore the facts and, worst of all, the most important plank in all of this is the people who produce food, our farmers. Farmers are our biggest export earner, bringing in a $36 billion income to South Australia, but this government does absolutely nothing to assist our farmers. Indeed, it puts every impediment in their way, so much so that there are some real concerns out there.

Farm production is falling, farm incomes are falling, farmers are selling up and leaving or buying farms elsewhere, particularly in Western Australia, because it is all too hard here in South Australia. South Australia now has the dubious distinction of having the highest level of foreign ownership of its farms in Australia. What a disgrace that is! And nobody can deny that. We have the highest level of foreign ownership of any state in Australia, or territory, much higher than anyone. Northern Territory is second—

Mr Piccolo interjecting:

Mr VENNING: The Northern Territory is a territory not a state; that is a fact. It is so bad that the NFF chief, Matt Linnegar said:

The high South Australian figure was a bit surprising. I think those involved with agriculture in South Australia would want to understand the context.

New figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that more than 12 per cent of land used for agriculture in South Australia is owned by foreign interests. This compares to 0.8 per cent Victoria and 2.7 per cent in New South Wales. Why is this so? South Australian farmers have been doing it very tough under this Labor government ever since it came to power in 2002.

Last week, during a seminar hosted by SAFF (Feast or Famine), the facts and consequences were clearly spelt out by the speakers, Julian Cribb, Bob Katter, Professor Simon Maddox and others, who provided firsthand experience and observations.

What has Labor done to help farmers? In the driest state of the driest continent, Labor chooses to turn its back, preferring a dry, dusty vision to a clear future for our farmers. The South Australian government's cutting of resources to PIRSA, SARDI and the advisory board is an absolute disgrace. If ever we want our farmers to be up with the best technology and the best networks and be efficient on the world stage, it is now. But what do we see? Cuts to all these areas that would certainly enhance our ability to produce more food, and to do it more profitably and efficiently. Cuts to SARDI just cannot be justified; it defies basic logic.

Over the years, certain scientific breakthroughs have enabled a huge boost to farm productivity, especially in the varietal and disease areas, not to mention that fertiliser and machinery high-tech advances were made through the science that SARDI and the department did then. It is all on the backburner now, and the minister for agriculture sacks the advisory board after 123 years of valued service, working through 1,800 members across our state, for the price of one high-paid government salary. The government also continues to promote an anti-GM policy in South Australia, the only state in Australia that fails to realise the opportunities that could bring—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Excuse me. Actually, member for Schubert, you will like this. There is no point in the people on my right shouting, 'Order, order! Time, time!', because the fact of the matter is that I have a record of allowing people to finish sentences, including the people on my right. So, we are going to allow the member for Schubert to finish his sentence. Member for Schubert.

Mr VENNING: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. We have the most advanced technology in Australia and, without the GM capacity there, how handicapped are we?

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