I spoke today in the Federal Parliament on the Liberal Party’s motion on Tasmanian agriculture.
Tasmanian agriculture is world class, and it’s true that the Federal Government has made some positive investments, including in irrigation and the extra $202.9m in this year’s Budget for international freight.
But looking at some positives shone a light on the many negatives which hold back and put at risk Tasmanian agriculture.
For a start the Government must ban fracking. It tramples farmers’ rights, contaminates the water and harms Tasmania’s clean green reputation.
The super trawler must also be banned. It depletes local fish stocks, puts other commercial and recreational fishing at risk, and kills precious marine wildlife.
The Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership must be abolished. For instance it will allow the big multinational chemical corporations to overturn Tasmania’s GMO-free status.
And Bass Strait still isn’t remedied. What’s needed is a comprehensive subsidy applying to all inbound and outbound passengers, vehicles and freight.
The State and Federal Governments need to do something in particular about the Victorian Government’s $75m Port License Fee which is a tax on interstate trade and unconstitutional.
A disappointing aspect of the debate on the motion was that the Liberal Party was unable or unwilling to fill their speaking slots, trying to resort instead to recycle speakers who had already had a go. Seems that Tasmania is of little interest to the Liberal Party in Canberra.
Andrew Wilkie, Independent Member for Denison
