Regional Victoria
Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (16:31): No-one should be surprised that the Prime Minister and the Victorian Premier were heckled and booed at the bush summit in Ballarat. It takes a lot to get regional people to turn out and demonstrate and even more for them to be as vocal as they were at the bush summit. It follows a recent Dynata survey that says that 75 per cent of Australians believe our farmers and the whole food chain are underappreciated by government. The new emergency services tax that will raise billions to fund a bloated Victorian bureaucracy, the taking away of farmers rights to object to renewable energy infrastructure being put on their farms and now fining them if they object – why would anyone be surprised that regional people are angry? The whole food and supply chain, starting with farmers, is one of regional Victoria’s largest employers. It feeds, clothes and houses us, plus it generates significant export revenue. It is the largest export user of the Melbourne container port.
As well as taxing them more and taking away their rights, the Allan Labor government, in its annual cuts to Agriculture Victoria, has decided that another 17 scientists should be classified as ‘no longer required’. Research drives innovation, but the Allan government believe it is no longer required. Regional people are booing for a reason. They have taken their tractors to the streets for a reason. They are angry at the injustices dealt to them by government and want respect and support for their contribution to the state. I no longer have a tractor, but if I did, I would have been happy to take it to Ballarat. Prime Minister, Premier, you were both elected to govern for all. How about starting to do it?