10 Aug 2016
Queensland’s largest annual event is back in Brisbane for another year. The Ekka is a celebration of agriculture and is commonly known as a time when the city meets the country.
With the sector front of mind, it is timely to review progress on a couple of the State Government’s key Budget reforms for rural and regional Queensland. In the Budget, the government acknowledged agriculture’s importance to rural and regional Queensland and stated that “rural and regional Queensland is the lifeblood of Queensland.”
In recognition of this, the government announced establishing an Office of Rural Affairs and structural changes to QRAA. QFF understands the Office of Rural Affairs will work across government to break down departmental silos, ensuring relevant rural and regional information is available for government policy decision making.
QFF agrees that this will help underpin better government policies, but only if the right staff are appointed and the scope of the Office’s work program is targeted. It is essential that the Office’s role be clearly defined and not become overstretched in the pursuit of excessively ambitious goals. Expanding QRAA’s Board charter and improving its flexibility is another key reform.
The government announced that under the Primary Industry Productivity Enhancement Scheme (PIPES), loan limits for the Sustainability Loans would be increased to $1.3 million and First Start Loans to $2 million. Post farm gate loans are also to be offered. Farmers are starting to ask when they will be able to access the new PIPES and post farm gate loans.
The similarity of these two and other reforms with recommendations in the Rural Debt and Drought Taskforce Chairman’s Report have not gone unnoticed by QFF, which was a member of this taskforce and supported most of the recommendations.
QFF appreciates MP Robbie Katter’s efforts in initiating the Rural Debt and Drought Taskforce.
The post The Ekka and reforms take centre stage appeared first on Queensland Farmers' Federation.