Standing tall through drought, bushfires, and floods
Farmers have borne the brunt of successive climatic challenges over the past few years. NSW Farmers has supported the agriculture sector in recovery from prolonged drought, the unprecedented bushfires of 2019/2020, and the flooding events of 2021. While most farmers across the state are enjoying improved seasonal conditions, we remain committed to building resilience and drought preparedness.
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Drought - $310m from NSW Government in drought assistance; commitment of $1bn to the Farm Innovation Fund; additional funding to extend the Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate.
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Bushfire - grants and loans to aid primary producer recovery, including $209m in grants to farmers to repair and replace boundary fencing.
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Floods - grants of up to $75,000 for rectification and repair to farm properties following the March 2021 storms and floods.
Mouse plague gnawing away at patience with government
As many farms and regional communities battled major mouse infestations in late 2020 and early 2021, NSW Farmers relentlessly pushed for a response from government that reflected the magnitude of the problem. Our members brought their stories to the steps of NSW Parliament, resulting in a government support package totalling $150 million in funding.
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Secured $95m for farmers to claim a 50 per cent rebate up to $10,000 to cover the cost of zinc phosphide baits, the most effective and environmentally friendly baiting option which NSW Farmers pushed for.
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Secured a $50m package for eligible households and small businesses affected by the plague.
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Worked extensively with Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall and the RAA to ensure the program was fit for purpose and accessible to those who most needed assistance.
The big disruptor: COVID-19
NSW Farmers acted swiftly in response to the disruption caused by COVID-19, from border closures to trade halts and worker shortages. We worked alongside other advocacy groups to ensure agriculture was deemed an essential service amid state border closures, secured greater movement of international and domestic workers to save critical harvests, and helped exporters stay connected with their trade destinations despite major downgrades in international flights.
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Worked closely with NSW DPI, NSW Police and ministerial offices to identify and minimise border closure impacts.
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Successfully advocated for the extension of the International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) funded in response to COVID-19 trade impacts to be extended from August 2021 to mid-2022 with an additional commitment of $260 million to support exports of perishable goods.
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Led national advocacy for the identification of agricultural workers as essential workers under a National Cabinet agreed protocol.
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Successfully advocated for 50 per cent quarantine subsidy for international harvest workers under the Seasonal Worker Program.
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Advocated for the re-opening of international borders and easing of quarantine arrangements for international arrivals that align with declining infection risks due to high vaccination rate in the community.
Worker shortages causing angst for the second year running
For agriculture, one of the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic was a shortage of workers as border restrictions seriously limited the movement of people. NSW Farmers relentlessly advocated for state and federal governments responses to the crisis, which threatened to derail major harvests over two consecutive years. NSW Farmers fought to make hotel quarantine more affordable for farmers recruiting workers under schemes such as the Seasonal Worker Program and welcomed the introduction of the industry’s headline workforce policy – a dedicated Agricultural Visa.
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Developed the NSW Farmers 10 Point Workforce Plan to address the ongoing workforce issues farmers faced during COVID-19 and engaged with various ministers on the plan.
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Initiated the NSW Wool Technical Advisory Group (WoolTAG) to address critical workforce issues in the wool industry, bringing together a cross-section of industry representatives.
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Engaged with the development of the legal framework for the Ag Visa and continued to feed into the program design to ensure it was fit for purpose, especially for smaller growers.
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Successfully advocated against changes to the legal understanding of casual employment to stop double dipping and other perverse outcomes.
Preventing further native vegetation green tape
NSW Farmers continues to represent farmers in the struggle to find balance between land management and conservation of native vegetation. For the farming community, preventing further green tape is an achievement in itself – and NSW Farmers has been able to quell efforts to expand restrictive native vegetation laws. NSW Farmers has also been pushing for practical conservation solutions that benefit both farmers and the environment.
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Working to improve outcomes of declarations of Critically Endangered Ecological communities to maintain productivity.
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Working with government on bio-certification of land areas to allow agricultural development.
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Developing better engagement opportunities with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust.