MORE than 2000 farmers and their supporters on Tuesday stood on the lawns in front of Parliament House in Canberra to send a powerful message to the people who determine the policies that impact farmers’ livelihoods.
The message was clear: farmers are not being listened to, their voices are being drowned out by activists with anti-farming agendas.
The rally was preceded by a convoy of about 40 trucks and farm vehicles.
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National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke addressed the huge crowd.
“We are proud farmers, we work the land. We look after over 55 per cent of this nation. We deserve to be respected. However, the reason why you are here today, the reason why I am here today, is because feel like we are getting stiffed,” Mr Jochinke said.
“Tony Mahar – your CEO, our leader in the Canberra ‘embassy of farmers’ – and I met with Anthony Albanese and made it very clear we do not agree with the decision to ban the live export of sheep.
“We made it very clear we would don’t roll over on this issue, that we support it.
“We understand they have different opinions, but they are not our opinions,” he said.
“We also made it very clear that any policy they develop, and when I say they, I mean those people in the house behind us need to have their key stakeholder at the table.
“And do you know who that is? Us. We need to be at the table. That is where we are going to get outcomes from because, like our national anthem says, Advance Australia fair is exactly what we want. We want to progress this nation but we want a fair go.
“However, our concerns are this: There are alternative voices and they are setting the agenda. There are alternative voices that are united against us, and we don’t think they are the ones who should be setting the policy because we are the interface between the environment and the consumers. The reality is we stand between prosperity and the starvation of this nation.
“Bad ideas that are created from activist ideology and aren’t founded by farmers and fact will always be bad. And those activist voices are loud and they are very well resourced, they have deep pockets,” he said.
“Do not be under any assumption everything stops here, we need to be united and we need to keep pushing our voice first because no one else will.
“It’s those who show up, have their voice heard, so we must be loud.
“And the message is simple: we hold the solutions to most problems in agriculture. We are some of the best farmers in the world.
“Not only do we adopt the best technology we bloody well create it. So behind us in the grand house sits our representative of every colour, of every corner of the nation, and our message is clear: Talk to us.
“We know they are coming up for a job interview next year. That job interview we all have a part to play, we must hold them accountable to what we need, but not only that, but what the nation needs. To do that we need to talk to the general public, we need them to know without us the country is stuffed.
“So, there is a very simple thing we have to say: No farmers, no food,” he said.
“It’s a simple message, we have to make sure our voices are heard but more so we have to be smart and we have to put our policy first, and the only that can happen is when we are consulted.
“For us to have advance Australia fair, for us to be united, for us to be team agriculture, we must be strong, we must put our case first.”
