The Victorian Farmers Federation is seeking $6.2 billion in road funding, over the next five years, as part of its 2018 State election pitch.
Road infrastructure funding is the biggest ticket item in the “Delivering for Agriculture Growing Communities” election manifesto, launched at this year’s VFF Ballarat conference.
VFF President David Jochinke told the conference infrastructure was one of four pillars included in the election document, which also covers healthy and safe workplaces, science-based, practical regulation and a confident future.
“If we are expected to have road-worthy vehicles, surely a pothole, or an 80kph sign, put up on a C-class road is unacceptable,” Mr Jochinke said.
“You don’t see a pothole down in Bourke Street, so why the heck should we see one, on our local roads?”
Mr Jochinke asked members to show leadership and get involved, in the election campaign.
“We are putting every candidate on notice - we are wanting to make sure that they understand what agriculture’s needs are and they understand what it means to deliver for agriculture.
Other big-ticket items are $600 million to rid the state of regional telecommunications blackspots and $24.5 million to upgrade the Maroona-Portland rail line.
Mr Jochinke said standards could not be allowed to slip any more and farmers needed to demand more.
He said telecommunications was also a key election issue.
“We run businesses, we make decisions which cost us money.
“We should demand there is a plan, not just rely on State politicians passing the buck to Federal politicians.”
The VFF has also asked for $10 million to build farm safety awareness, through a “stay actively farming longer” campaign, appoint safety officers and implement a safety equipment grants scheme.
“We want everyone to live and breathe farm safety.
“We want you to have that conversation, at the beginning of the day, where are you going, what are you doing, how can we do this better?”
The VFF is also asking for $18.3m to reduce travel ties to and from critical health care, appoint additional medical workers in rural and regional hospitals and expand the “Look Over the Farm Gate” program.
“No longer can we sit by and say, ‘oh look it’s acceptable to wait three weeks to see a doctor’ – there are programs out there that attract and retain staff.”
Mr Jochinke said any incoming government must also commit to providing another $3million to ensure local governments focused on statutory and core duties.
Local government should focus on roads and rubbish, not grandstand on issues, which were not of their concern.
Land use planning, especially around native vegetation, needed to be based on robust policy.
“You look at the outcome and say, what are we trying to achieve here?” Mr Jochinke said.
“We don’t want to have roadblocks.
“We want to have pathways that start getting some runs on the board, as far as being able to manage our farmland, being able to manage the assets and resources we do have, to become efficient, to generate the income, that drives our communities.”
The VFF also put forward a pitch for $13.5 million to deliver dedicated Victoria Police liaison officers within Victoria Police.
“The Agricultural Liaison Officer program is a half-way house to where we think it should have got to,” Mr Jochinke said.
Having a police force directed towards farmers showed they were serious about looking after the sector.
“We want to get the police force to recognise we are a contributor to the economy, they take it seriously and act on it as if they would if it was a metropolitan system.”
On energy policy, the VFF has called for $155m for a long-term energy plan.
It’s also asking for $104m for ongoing biosecurity work and an animal health and biosecurity intensive farming biosecurity officer.
Victoria should also appoint a permanent food and fibre office, to develop educational materials linked to the education curriculum.
When it came to animal welfare, the VFF called for $20m to support developing a sustainable and responsible animal welfare plan, as well as ongoing research and development.
