‘I would have liked more’: Was the National Ag Rally a success?

Questions have been raised about those who were absent at the Keep the Sheep and National Ag Rally — and how many people really attended.

While not unaccustomed to rising early, setting off at 4.30am was a particularly rough start for young Queensland farmer Harry Coulton.

But he is hesitant to complain given it’s better than pulling out of the farm gate at 3.30am like fellow protesters from Dirranbandi.

Their convoy of trucks were bound for Canberra to join the “National Ag Rally” planned by lobby group Keep the Sheep and later endorsed by the National Farmers’ Federation.

“There was a cost to it but one we were willing to sacrifice to show our support,” Mr Coulton said of the farmers in Western Australia most impacted by the Labor government’s legislated phase out of live sheep exports by 2028.

Back in southern Queensland, the issue for the Coultons is the Albanese Government’s program of water purchases for the environment in the Murray Darling Basin, which is sowing fear into farmers reliant on the river system for their livelihoods.

Mr Coulton, who is the fifth generation to farm the land, said farmers were a traditionally quiet lot, so the fact he and others were willing to travel to the nation’s capital to be seen and heard spoke volumes of the industry’s disquiet with federal Labor’s agricultural policies.

“I know it won’t change the law tomorrow, but we are worried and by making such an effort, over 1000km, and with the costs associated and time, it shows people are very concerned and hopefully that gets a message across,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton addresses the National Farmers' Federation rally at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

The merits of last week’s rally have been questioned by some within the industry who say it was hijacked by the Coalition, who gathered en masse on stage to broadcast the parties’ promise of repealing the live sheep ban legislation if elected next year.

But Keep the Sheep spokesman and WA Farmers president John Hassell said this was an unfair assessment, and the day was a great success.

“They (the Liberal National Party) need to get the message, this is about methodology; dirty little deals done with minority parties. If the Coalition pull that stunt we’ll come after them,” he said.

Mr Hassell estimated as many as 2700 people attended the rally, but admitted “I would have liked more”.

He is confident the Prime Minister has heeded their message that farmers want to be listened to and consulted more closely.

It has been widely noted that not only did Labor politicians fail to show up, but so too did a number of major farming groups, including the Victorian Farmers Federation, the NFF’s Horticulture Council, Grain Growers and Sheep Producers Australia chief executive Bonnie Skinner, who was in Bali, among other notable absentees.

SPA chair Andrew Spencer defended Ms Skinner’s absence and whether it was telling of SPA’s level of support for the rally, saying the peak commodity group fully endorsed the event and that Ms Skinner was entitled to a holiday.

“We have clearly and consistently voiced our opposition to a ban in our submissions, testimony in parliamentary inquiries, and representations,” Mr Spencer said.

It is estimated about 2700 people travelled to Canberra to take part in the September 10 protest. Picture: Martin Ollman

The number of protesters who made the effort to travel to Canberra is a far cry from the 45,000 who were estimated to have protested in 1985 in the NFF’s last endorsed rally outside Parliament House over rising inflation rates and taxes.

Perth-based political commentator and Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame University Peter Kennedy said this could likely be an accurate reflection of the contraction of the industry.

According to a 2005 Productivity Commission report, consistent with global trends, farm numbers in Australia declined by around one-quarter, or by almost 46,000 farms, over the twenty years to 2002-03, from around 178,000 to 132,000. By 2022, there were 87,800 Australian farming businesses left.

“To get anyone to turn out and travel to Canberra they have to feel strongly about it, so going off the TV vision, it looked like a critical mass,” Professor Kennedy said, adding it would have successfully sent a message to the government there was fury in the bush.

He said federal Labor’s no show would suggest the party has largely written off the farm vote, calling to question whether the rally would achieve anything tangible for the industry.

Queensland farmer Sam Coulton’s family has farmed the land for 100 years this year. His grandson Harry travelled to Canberra to take part in the National Ag Rally to ensure farmers’ voices were heard. Picture: Justine Walpole

But Mr Coulton is hopeful.

His family will celebrate 100 years on the land this year.

“We’ve been here a while, we do know a little about what they’re doing, so it would be nice if ag as an industry could be spoken to so a shared goal could be achieved,” he said.