John Hassell, WAFarmers, President’s Speech to the WAFarmers Conference 2024

Western Australia’s farmers are facing ‘Walls of Legislation,’ which is exactly what our members and in fact every farmer across Australia are facing under this current federal government.

Walls of Legislation”¦ or as I prefer to call it, “Another Brick in the Wall, Stopping Farmers from Farming.”

For a government that came to power on a campaign promise of “A Better Future,” one has to wonder: who was this aimed at? Their policies certainly aren’t making things any better for farmers or the regional communities that support agriculture.

Whether it’s live exports, interest rates, tax, superannuation, emissions reductions, industrial relations, or farm labor, this government has continually thrown bricks at farmers, making the future of farming even more uncertain.

We all know that sheep producers were abandoned by the federal government to appease inner-city animal welfare activists. But they aren’t the only ones sold out this government.

Albanese has hit all Australian farmers with a biosecurity tax that effectively taxes production—not profits, not imported containers, but turnover. It’s a regressive tax that’s all too easy for the government to increase, without promising anything in return.

It mirrors the taxes used in failed economies like Argentina, where desperate revenue-raising measures prevail over sound policy.

What the government intends to do with this tax remains unclear. It hasn’t been targeted at protecting farm biosecurity; instead, it disappears into the government’s bottomless treasury pit, never to benefit the industry it burdens.

Moreover, the government’s failure to address the agricultural labour shortage persists. Despite a steady influx of migrants, few are willing to work in regional areas—a predictable outcome under a government that is not interested in pushing people to where the work is.

For those reliant on efficient ports and infrastructure, the new industrial relations system offers nothing better. It complicates employment processes and undermines productivity rather than fostering growth.

And let’s not overlook the superannuation changes that threaten farmers’ retirements, with taxes on superannuation balances doubling to 30% for balances over $3 million, potentially forcing farmers to sell family land to rebalance their financial portfolios.

A “Better Future” doesn’t include increased interest rates on mortgages and farm debts. These burdens stem from the government’s reckless spending policies, which drive inflation and, consequently, higher interest rates.

There is nothing better about this government’s vision for farmers. If anything, it echoes the high-tax, high-interest-rate policies of past administrations, reminiscent of the Whitlam era that hindered rather than supported agricultural prosperity.

Some of you may recall the ‘It’s Time’ campaign of 1972, which swept Gough Whitlam and the Labor Party into power, only to be swiftly followed by public disillusionment, then came the dismissal and the infamous slogan to ‘Turn on the Lights’ run by Labor for the 1975 campaign.

That’s a political slogan that Albanese certainly won’t be using in 2025 if they go to the polls next year, as there is no guarantee the lights will remain on over summer as Australia runs out of steam, the coal runs out and the lights go out as a result of their reliance on renewables.

Mind you he also probably won’t be turning to the 1977 election slogan of “It’s Time for a Change” as farmers might just get what many are wishing for which is a change of government before Labor does any more damage.

‘Change’ is exactly what the ‘Save the Sheep’ campaign is all about.

A grass roots campaign organised by ‘Friends of Farmers and Farming Communities’ a network of organisations including WAFarmers all linked to the sheep industry that has seen two thousand people turn out in Perth and then Muresk protesting the governments live export policy.

Farmers want the policy changed or if that fails they want a change in government.

Farmers and the community around us have woken up that this government is not the farmers’ friend.

In fact, we are facing the most economically destructive government since Whitlam in the 1970s.

Not only are they destroying our sheep industry, and taxing farmers on their production but they are closing down farmers who rely on the Murray Darling irrigation scheme and encouraging the big corporates to buy up productive farm land to turn them into carbon farms growing trees destroying rural communities.

But it does not end there, this is the government that is closing down fisheries with their commonwealth marine parks and shutting mining with their plan to end coal mining and gas exploration.

All three wealth producing parts of primary industry are under attack while the government talks up this fantasy of turning Australia into a renewable energy super power.

When in reality they are more likely to turn our farming landscape into a renewable energy wasteland of derelict wind farm towers, which will one day be a costly reminder of a failed government’s utopian dream.

If we are living in Labor’s ‘Better Future” what can we expect when the going gets tough and the economy really comes under pressure from higher labour and energy costs?  

Will Australian farmers see more taxes on production like the biosecurity tax?

Certainly, we can expect the recently dumped ute tax to make a comeback just as we can expect carbon taxes on our diesel and inputs as the government looks around for an easy target to partially fulfill its rapidly failing 46 per cent 2030 emission reduction target.

What better way to reduce livestock emissions than to drive farmers out of livestock, which is exactly what the governments live export ban, will do. 

What better way to reduce farm emissions than drive farmers out of grain production and into carbon farming trees.

We all know the government’s 2030 and 2050 carbon targets is doomed to failure, just like their election promise of $270 lower power costs per household has proved to be wishful thinking.

Just as the promise of a magical market to replace live exports with chilled mutton exports will prove to be wishful thinking.

Ending where I started there is no “Better Future” when all you are faced with are “Walls of Legislation.”