The Queensland agricultural sector has been left high and dry by the Palaszczuk Labor Government budget.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Deb Frecklington said the fact Treasurer Curtis Pitt did not use the words Agriculture, Fisheries, or Forestry once in his budget speech, is proof this vital sectors matters little to the Labor Government.
“While Labor is happy to bend over for various interest groups, one of the State’s biggest interest group; Queensland’s farmers and producers have been left disappointed,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Labor couldn’t ignore the fact that around 80% of Queensland is now drought declared and while support and funding continues because of the foundations put in place by the former LNP Government there is no guarantee the money will be available to those that need it the most; when they need it.
“That’s because the Labor Government is up to its old tricks, giving with one hand and taking with the other.
“Within QRAA the service delivery timeframes have been slashed from 97.5% to 85% along with a reduction in eight people to administer the applications. The priority should be to improving QRAA not reducing its service capabilities.”
Ms Frecklington said it came as no surprise that Labor was returning to bad habits.
“In government the LNP’s commitment saw it re-establish the Department of Agriculture. In less than six months Labor has seen to it that there are 74 less people in Agriculture; 60 less people in Biosecurity Queensland and 6 less people in Fisheries and Forestry while corporate services has seen an increase in 2 people.
“The former LNP had done a lot of the ground work in the agricultural sector, Labor simply had to run with it. While the Minister announced a 10 year plan for a blueprint for Agriculture and food, that pales into insignificance to what we did with the first State of Queensland Agriculture report.”
Ms Frecklington said what Queensland wanted to hear was that Labor was going to get on with the job rather than focusing on the wishes of the green wielding conservationists.
“They are reinstating the vegetation laws to “implement changes to the vegetation management framework to appropriately manage and minimise the clearing of vegetation”, and additionally they have left the commercial fishing industry reeling.
Minister Byrne has committed to a compulsory closure of three fishing zones, without final consultation, and these hard working Queenslanders will suffer further with a decrease in the funding of the net fishing buyback program.
The Labor Government was elected on a platform of job creation, consultation and transparency, but after a budget that delivers no jobs and no growth it has failed hook, line and sinker.
