28 June 2026. Geoffrey Swanson, South west Queensland Regional President.
At times, it can seem like we are under constant attack from different levels of Government. We have the changes to the EPBC act to deal with, changes that are felt very deeply in the South West Region. Our area is a region of diverse landscapes reaching from the Carnarvon ranges to the Simpson desert. It's a region in which many of our members rely on the Mulga reserves found here simply to keep their livestock alive. Then there is the ever-increasing indirect impact of biosecurity cost recovery, the cost of environmental reporting, the very recent tax law changes, which thanks to AgForce working with the National Farmers Federation, will now have less of an impact on producers.
There will be more changes, and it is imperative that we have strong representation when it comes to carving out a better deal for our primary producers. No one in Australia is doing a better job of this than AgForce. Now is the time that we all need to get behind AgForce and ensure that we can maintain the hectic pace that is needed to get the best deal possible for our regions. One of the best ways you can get behind AgForce, besides being a member, is to engage when asked to do so. As an example, AgForce is calling for producers to make submissions to or attend the regional consultation sessions that the Queensland Productivity Commission is holding into the impacts of the federal EPBC act reforms. This is an opportunity that we are being given, so take it with both hands!
Having outlined a few headwinds, it would be irresponsible not to mention the fact that it is also a great time to be in agriculture! Many commodities are enjoying strong prices, large areas have enjoyed a reasonable run of seasons, while we do always recognise those who miss out. We have the development of time saving technologies that are seemingly hitting the shelves every day. It is terrific to be part of an industry that has always had the ability and nimbleness to adapt to the many changes that have been seen over the last couple of hundred years. We have always survived and will continue to prosper! It is important to continue to do what we do best by producing very high quality food and fibre, enjoy what agriculture offers to us as an industry and we should always be grateful to AgForce for helping to put us in the position to do these things.
