Coalition’s National Food Security Plan supports Australia’s food producers

An elected Dutton-Littleproud Coalition Government will support Australia’s food producers to lower costs across the supply chain, by developing a comprehensive National Food Security Plan.

In his address at the National Press Club today, Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said the Department of Agriculture would be responsible for the Plan, with the support of an Industry Advisory Committee, and an interim report would be due within the first six months of government.

“Families are being forced to pay more at the supermarket checkout because manufacturing costs for food are higher,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Under the Albanese Labor Government, the cost of everything has gone up. The Coalition’s Plan will make it easier for farmers and primary producers to run their businesses and ease cost-of-living pressures.”

The Plan will be underpinned through a Coalition Government’s $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund, to grow local economies, build infrastructure and local facilities and deliver the essential services communities need, that are local and affordable.

The Plan’s first actions include;

• Protecting food producing land and water – Stopping Labor’s water buybacks and preventing Labor’s reckless overbuild of industrial renewables and transmission lines.
• Biosecurity – Legislating minimum funding for biosecurity, introducing import container levies, not taxing farmers to pay for the risk of importers.
• Getting the workers Australia needs from paddock to plate – Reinstating the Agriculture Visa, reviewing the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme, investing in more apprentices and reversing damaging aspects of Labor’s complex industrial relations reforms.
• Cheaper, cleaner and consistent energy – Delivering a balanced energy mix that is 44 per cent cheaper than Labor’s plan, establishing an East Coast Gas Reservation, delivering lower energy prices by decoupling and unlocking gas, investing in infrastructure to get gas where and when it is needed.
• Advancing sovereign manufacturing capabilities – Establishing a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund and developing a regional manufacturing roadmap.
• Logistics – Delivering major investment in roads and key freight routes and getting the Inland Rail project moving again.
• Slashing the regulatory burden on farmers and across the supply chain – Abolishing Scope 3 emissions reporting, fast tracking environmental assessment and approvals.
• Fairness for farmers at the farmgate and families at the supermarket checkout – Legislating  ‘big stick’ divestiture competition laws, tough new $2 million on-the-spot fines for supermarkets who do the wrong thing, establishing a Supermarket Commissioner to confidentially take up complaints, work with the ACCC to take action and stop exploitation and conduct random supermarket audits.

“The only way to bring prices down at the checkout is to put downward pressure on costs right along the supply chain,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Only the Coalition has a meaningful plan to support our food producers, which will ensure stronger regional, rural and remote communities.”

Securing the food supply chain is part of the Coalition’s plan to get Australia back on track.