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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-04-04 Daily Xml
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FARMING RIGHTS

Adjourned debate on motion of Mr Venning:

That this house establish a select committee to investigate and report upon factors that impact upon a farmer's 'right to farm', including a specific examination of spray buffers, conflicting land uses, mining, farm sustainability, profitability and the Development Act 1993.

(Continued from 14 March 2012.)

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:45): I rise to speak in support of the member for Schubert's motion to establish a select committee to investigate the matters impacting on our farmers' right to farm. For centuries, myself, and many of the members on this side have come from farming backgrounds—some still there—and we feel that living and working on a farm gives us the right to continue our business, no matter whether others make a choice to move in close proximity, or make a choice to have a country lifestyle.

Again, it is really about the urban encroachment on farming land or coming into the country style of living. I am calling on those people who need to understand in coming into a farming community and a non-urban area, that operations of farming are noisy; and they are sometimes not a 9-to-5 type job—they are a 24/7 job in a lot of cases, particularly in harvest, particularly in seeding, particularly with some of the maintenance and spraying programs that happen at night, we see transport coming in.

People coming into those farming areas must understand that they are entering a country lifestyle—they must look at their rates notice, they must look at the planning information when they come into these areas—and that it offers farming practices next door, and down the road, and that that must be noted. In the electorate of Chaffey, we have a large amount of farming practices, whether it be horticulture or agriculture. There are many procedures being undertaken on a daily basis 24 hours a day/7 days a week—whether looking after horticulture crops through checking irrigation, through harvest, trucks coming and going, tractors in and out of orchards and vineyards—there must be an understanding of what is involved in practices of farming.

Those people coming and looking for that country lifestyle need to understand. I will ask a simple question: does a farmer who moves to town for a personal choice, apply to have the pub shut down up the road for the reason of noise and cars driving away, and people having a good time? No, he doesn't. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (11:48): Madam Speaker, I wish to move an amendment to this motion. I move:

After 'report' remove all words and replace with:

'on land arrangements for primary production (agriculture, viticulture and horticulture), mineral resources and regional development, focusing on planning for farming sustainability and improving farming practices that promote the sustainable use of our state's natural resources, a clean, green food supply for South Australia and report on advantages that this promotion may bring to the South Australian economy.'

My amendment seeks to maintain the establishment of a select committee. What the motion does do is try to—

The SPEAKER: Member for Light, could we just have a copy of the amendment?

Mr PICCOLO: You can. The intent of the amendment is to support the establishment of the select committee and also to support the intent of what the motion seeks to do. We are making it a bit broader, and we are taking out the words that narrow the debate. We are looking at farming in the broader sense and trying to establish what it is we need to do to make farming sustainable and profitable in the future.

As I said, the intent of the government's amendment is to ensure that the community recognises that the government is very interested in this section of our economy. The South Australian government has recognised it in the seven strategic priorities, in our role as a supplier of clean, green food and in relation to the importance of mining in our present and future.

South Australian primary produce makes up 5 per cent of our gross state product, while mining represents 4 per cent of our gross state product. South Australia's gross food revenue reached a record high of $13.7 billion in 2010-11. The food and wine industry employs nearly one in five South Australian workers and accounts for around 40 per cent of the state's exports, so it is a very important sector and that is why we are supporting this motion in an amended form.

I also wish to comment on something the member for Chaffey touched upon earlier, that is that land use and methods of primary production do not remain static over time; therefore, to ensure that we can build on our substantial base in primary industries and improve our productivity, various land uses must coexist, and we must find solutions to those existing conflicts.

We have all become more aware of the importance of sustainability in our land use, and many primary producers are exemplars of how to husband and nurture land. There is an increasing interest here and overseas in 'green' food and produce that can be sustainably produced with the least impact on the environment and consumed with confidence. Consumers may seek out and pay a premium for products with a clean, green image.

An important point is that proper planning and a proactive policy can minimise conflicts between different types of farming. Preventative policy measures are more useful than remedial ones. There are existing and ongoing processes to ensure these conflicts are minimised, including the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, which includes the protection of agricultural land in the Greater Adelaide region and the introduction of character preservation regions in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.

A select committee should therefore investigate how preventative policy measures assist in dealing with the range of uses for land in regional areas to support farm sustainability and to help provide a market advantage to South Australian primary industries. With those few comments, I seek support for this amendment.

The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (11:52): I will second the amendment. We would like to deal with this today, and I will take the opportunity, having spent most of my working life involved with agriculture, to support both the original motion and the amendment by the member for Light on the intent to set up a committee to consider the right to farm.

I have to say that this issue has been brought to my close attention in recent times in the seat of Flinders where, right at this very moment, we are dealing with the interface between particularly mining exploration and landowners who have been, in many instances, in place and on properties for 100 years or more—since settlement. I am aware of the angst, anxiety and sense of the unknown that that brings to people's businesses, their outlook on life, and to what the future might hold.

I note that of late there has been a series of public meetings across Eyre Peninsula—particularly Lower Eyre Peninsula—to address some of these issues. At the same time, there have been public forums held by exploration companies to actually put their intentions out into the public domain. My feeling is that, right at this moment, the best efforts are being made by both parties to address these issues. But at the core of this, I think, is that there are often competing interests when it comes to agricultural land, and it is about how we best manage that. It is nothing new; there have always been competing interests through urban encroachment or the establishment of factories or other lifestylers or even a change of land use. I think it is a good opportunity to consider all of those, and I look forward to the committee being established and presenting to that committee.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (11:55): I thank all members who have contributed to this debate, and I particularly thank the government for supporting the principles involved with this select committee. I support the government's amendment because I believe the result will be the same. This is a very complex matter and it has been on the political agenda in Australia for many years. I envisage this inquiry going for quite some time, but I hope it will be all completed by the end of 2013, which is the life of the government. I look forward to a most interesting and rewarding investigation and putting up ideas for legislation in the future.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (11:56): I move:

That the select committee consist of Mr Piccolo, Mrs Vlahos, Dr Close, Mr Pederick, Mr Griffiths and the mover.

Motion carried.

An honourable member: Is this your swan song?

Mr VENNING: It's not my swan song, no. After that interruption, which floored me a bit, I now move:

That the select committee have power to send for persons, papers and records and to adjourn from place to place and to report on 28 November 2012.

Motion carried.

Mr VENNING: I further move:

That standing order 339 be and remain so far suspended as to enable the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication as it sees fit of any evidence presented to the committee prior to such evidence being reported to the house.

The SPEAKER: I have counted the house and, as an absolute majority of the whole number of members is not present, ring the bells.

An absolute majority of the whole number of members being present:

Motion carried.

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