Victoria-South Australia border: Farmers plea for SA to stop shutdown
Cross-border residents say South Australia’s near-total border shutdown from Friday will cripple communities, as they plea for action.
FRUSTRATED farmers on the Victorian-South Australian border are pleading with the SA Government to reconsider its draconian border shutdown.
Cross-border residents are warning the near-total border closure – to be enforced from Friday in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus from Victoria – will cripple communities, cutting people off from work, goods and services and critical medical care.
“It’s a dog’s breakfast,” Wimmera farmer James Hawkins said.
“It’s a massively disproportionate response to the situation.”
Mr Hawkins runs a piggery of 7000 sows at Neuarpurr, a stone’s throw from the border, and all his staff live in SA – but so far he’s not been able to get permits for them.
“If I can’t get staff, the animal health implications are potentially huge. And that’s just one case – there’s one of these every five kilometres up and down the border,” he said.
Mr Hawkins is one of the organisers of the Facebook group “Cross-border Call-out”, which is rallying to push the SA Government to stop the shutdown, and keep existing cross-border arrangements, including the 40-km border zone.
But so far, they’ve been “stonewalled” by the Government, Mr Hawkins said.
Meanwhile, farmers along the NSW-Victorian border were yesterday expecting announcement of a promised agriculture permit, as the NSW Government border closure continues.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote to the SA, NSW and Queensland premiers this week, ahead of this Friday’s National Cabinet meeting, urging them to come to swift resolutions on cross-border issues.
Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke said if there was no result from the National Cabinet, “there’s going to be absolutely huge consequences” for agriculture and regional communities.
“We want to farm for Australia, not just individual states,” Mr Jochinke said.
“If there’s lost harvest or animal welfare issues, who’s taking that responsibility, when commonsense can prevent half of it.”
Victorian Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Jaclyn Symes said SA’s changes would have “enormous impacts” for border communities, and vowed to keep advocating for action.
“While we understand the intent of the SA Government to protect its residents, it’s important to reduce the impact on communities who’ve built their lives across the border,” Ms Symes said.
SA Agriculture Minister David Basham said his state’s government was working with the agriculture and forestry industries to address any concerns on cross-border issues, adding that freight for primary industries was allowed.
Mr Basham said SA’s plan to protect its citizens “may mean South Australian living near the border will have to look to local suppliers … to source their needs.”
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