VICTORIAN farmers may face less service delivery after the Agriculture minister refused to guarantee the Victorian Government would not make more job cuts at Agriculture Victoria.
Agriculture minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, confirmed the government would continue their pattern of “savings”, with staffing “negotiations … still taking place,” at Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) on Thursday morning.
Shadow agriculture minister, Peter Walsh, said the government’s cuts to agriculture came alongside cuts to trade and global engagement, and regional development.
“A Labor budget that cuts $47.8 million from agriculture, $46.3 million out of trade and global engagement, and $87.1 million from regional development shows this government is no friend to regional Victoria,” he said.
“We know Labor’s on the warpath for budget “savings” to plug $28.1 billion in wasteful cost blowouts and Victorian farmers are the unwilling casualties.
“Axing research and development jobs threatens to put a handbrake on advancements that will make our Victorian farmers more productive, sustainable, and profitable.
“The loss of 109 jobs – and more to come – means less people to deliver services to our farmers and less people working on research that is critical for a more efficient, smarter agriculture sector.”
Mr Walsh also said questions about Victoria’s biosecurity efforts against Queensland fruit fly remained, with the 2022-23 State Budget silent on future funding.
Ms Thomas introduced a ‘collective biosecurity’ to the PAEC on Thursday, inviting farmers to work hand in hand with government to tackle biosecurity.
Mr Walsh said while the government will shirk its responsibility on biosecurity, it continues to demand farmers and industry pay more.
“More Labor budget cuts from agriculture and regional development shows they’re no champion for Victorian farmers or country communities,” Mr Walsh said.
“We’re all paying for the $28.1 billion in budget blowouts on Labor’s mismanaged major projects.
“Only a change in government in November will deliver regional Victoria our fair share.”
