ALP racing clock to fulfil agriculture promises ahead of election deadline
Of the 22 agriculture-related pledges made by Labor ahead of the 2022 election, seven were completed by November, government briefing notes reveal.
The Albanese government is racing the clock to meet previous election commitments, with internal documents showing only a third of pledges had been fulfilled, with policies on food labelling and animal welfare facing challenges in order to be completed before voters go to the polls.
Of the 22 relevant pledges made by Labor ahead of the 2022 election, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry considered seven to be completed by November last year, government briefing notes reveal.
The department said 11 of the remaining pre-election commitments were “on track to be delivered on time” but another four would require “active management” in order to be fulfilled.
The next federal election must be held on or before May 17.
In a brief prepared ahead of budget estimates in November, the department blamed “delayed starts, more complex delivery” or input needed from third parties for the slower progress on the four pledges. Two of those commitments have since been completed, but two remain outstanding.
One is a pledge to “improve existing regulations to deliver accurate and clear food labelling” in response to concerns raised by meat and dairy industries about plant-based protein and dairy products containing misleading or deceptive imagery or terms.
The other is the promise of a renewed national animal welfare strategy, which still remains unfinished.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the Albanese government had delivered for the sector by rebuilding international trade relationships, improving biosecurity, tackling workforce shortages and introducing reforms to penalise supermarkets that abused their market power.
“The Albanese Labor government is committed to a robust, sustainable agriculture industry that continues to thrive in Australia, delivering on the commitments we made before the last election,” Ms Collins said.
“Since coming to government in 2022, we have been delivering for Australian farmers and producers: strengthening biosecurity, boosting the ag workforce, opening up new trade opportunities and improving farm sustainability.
“Our farmers are recognised around the world for high-quality produce, and our government will continue to work hard to ensure they have as many opportunities as possible to showcase that.”
The Albanese government has had a strained relationship with the $94.3bn agricultural and forestry sector, which led to the peak body representing Australian farmers declaring war on Labor over policies the National Farmers Federation said went against the interests of their members.
The difficult relationship was acknowledged in the department’s pre-estimates briefings, which highlighted concerns raised in the NFF’s National Farmer Priorities Survey, released in August.
“The survey confirms that farmers remain passionate about what they do but the sentiment towards government has declined,” the DAFF briefing note said. “Top issues of concern for farmers surveyed were biosecurity, competition, climate change and the phase-out of live sheep exports by sea.
“The survey makes it clear more work needs to be undertaken to ensure farming communities feel listened to, and that they feel their concerns are reflected in policies coming from government.”
The department said it was addressing the issues raised in the survey to “find common ground” with the sector.
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