Jeremy Rockliff:Taking responsibility for driving jobs growth in our primary industries

The Liberal Government is taking responsibility for delivering our vision of growing the state’s primary industries to create jobs.

In opening the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association’s biennial conference in Launceston today, it was my pleasure to highlight our long-term plan, Agrivision 2050.

The conference theme is “taking responsibility”, and, appropriately, the Liberal Government is doing just that with a clear focus on growing our industry, protecting our reputation and investing where it can do the most good.

Agrivision 2050 sets an ambitious target of increasing the value of our agricultural produce tenfold to $10 billion a year by 2050.

The Liberal Government has set up AgriGrowth Tasmania, a specialist division charged with driving a whole-of-government approach to work with the industry, rather than getting in the way.

We have established Biosecurity Tasmania to strengthen our biosecurity frontline to protect our relative disease and pest-free status.

Also in our first 100 days, we have, as promised, begun a review of the Primary Industries Activities Protection Act with a view to strengthen the legal rights of farmers to farm.

The Liberal Government is committed to building on Tasmania’s competitive strengths, of which agriculture is one of the leading examples, to tackle the state’s jobs crisis.

We are getting on with the job by addressing the challenges that face our primary industries: the demand for further investment in research and development; irrigation; freight; skills and cutting red and green tape.

If Tasmanian agriculture is to achieve its full potential, if we are to deliver on Agrivision 2050; then we must do it together, in collaboration.

As Minister, I look forward to maintaining a strong working relationship between the TFGA, farmers and the Liberal Government that will encourage all of us to “take responsibility” for leading Tasmanian agriculture into a more prosperous future.

Our success will ultimately be measured by the employment that this industry provides for Tasmanians.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water