This year has indeed been a year of mixed fortunes for our farmers. We’ve seen mother nature unleash her full force with drought, floods and fire all having their turn to test our producers.
One thing however has remained consistent; the unwavering tenacity and strength of rural communities to pull together when times are tough and simply get on with it.
We have sought to do the same. We know that farmers don’t want or need handouts, they need targeted support to help their businesses transition and to manage our ever-changing and unpredictable climate.
It’s why in April we stood shoulder-to-shoulder with growers in the Wimmera to deliver a $10 million drought assistance package.
Importantly, we did this with regional communities using online and face-to-face methods to make sure we had your feedback and ideas before rolling out the support.
We did this because we know that the best ideas and outcomes come from engaging directly with our local communities.
We’re investing in water – the lifeblood of our regions – with projects from the Macalister to Wedderburn and Bacchus Marsh.
For some it will mean being connected to the water grid for the very first time. We committed more than $3 million to the very popular Drought Employment Program and we put another $3 million towards a Sport and Recreation fund, because we know that regional communities need and deserve the best facilities, whether it be the Donald Weir Pool or upgrading Kaniva Hall – these are the service you called for and the services we will deliver.
One of the biggest issues of this year we responded to and led was rural communities’ call to ban fracking for good – and we are. Victoria’s food is world class and we will not compromise that.
Our dairy farmers also experienced an unprecedented situation with major suppliers Murray Goulburn and Fonterra slashing the prices paid back to producers.
Unprecedented situations deserve an unprecedented response. We moved quickly to support our dairy sector.
Within a week we established the Dairy Industry Taskforce to ensure dairy farmers and their families had the support they needed to manage what can only be described as a globally volatile marketplace.
Working closely with industry we delivered a $13.5 million dairy assistance package to support business transition and training, boost mental health service provision and focus firmly on improving support for young families in the dairy industry and retraining for those who want to leave the industry.
I’m sure 2016 has tested the hearts and minds of many producers, but there have been real positives and there is great confidence going into 2017.
We took the bold leap to strengthen our livestock biosecurity system by introducing EID for sheep and goats. It is a change we simply have to and Victoria is rightly leading the charge in what will benefit producers and the rest of the supply chain by increasing our traceability and boosting our market access while protecting our world-class sheep and goat meat, wool beef and dairy.
We made record investments in regional infrastructure, we’re delivering the Murray Basin Rail project, we’re making sure regional communities have the education, training and skills they deserve and we’re giving every Victorian access to world class health care.
This year saw the introduction of the Labor Government’s Regional Partnerships. Nine Regional Assemblies were held across the state.
This new model is already being described as a game changer, bringing local people together with federal and local government, community and business leaders to deliver their ideas straight into the heart of our government to make sure when it comes to budget time and managing challenging time, we’re taking our advice straight from locals who know best.
Our farmers have everything to look forward to in 2017 and I can assure you I will do everything in my power to ensure Victoria continues to lead the way and our government will deliver what farmers need today and in the future to thrive on the world stage, and in their local communities.
