AGRICULTURE and regional Victoria had underwhelming outcomes in the 2024 State Budget, according to industry leaders and a politician.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the budget was “a missed opportunity to invest in Victorian agriculture, drive productivity and propel Victoria’s economy”.
Birchip Cropping Group director, former VFF grains group president and Quambatook farmer Brett Hosking labelled it “frustrating neglect”.
The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said Premier Jacinta Allan had slashed agriculture spending.
Ms Germano said regional Victorians had been watching the overspend on city-centric projects for too many years.
“We’re glad this has been reined in, but we would have liked more money to be injected into regional Victoria, particularly in our crumbling road network, it’s been too long coming,” she said.
“While Premier Allan’s budget looks to be a reset for the state, there’s also a lack investment in our sector in the immediate future.
“Forecasts show state debt will soar to $188 billion in the next few years, so it’s clear we’ll be dealing with huge overhanging debt for some time.
“But Victorian farmers contribute more than $19 billion to the economy through our food and fibre production and we can do more – we just need the government to get behind us.”
Mr Hosking said with a new Premier, with a country background, the agriculture industry had been hoping for much more.
“There are no two ways about it, we did not do well in this budget”, he said.
As well as agriculture investment, he said the budget included a “double whammy of not doing something drastic about our failing road network”.
“Yes, the farmers need the roads to be better, be safer, but so does all of regional Victoria,” Mr Hosking said.
“This is a community crisis because so many roads are simply not safe.
“We are seeing bad crashes, and fatalities, which might not have happened had our roads been better maintained.
“It leaves you feeling frustrated and helpless, and it has been going on too long and something needs to give.
“The state debt is soaring, but so is the cost of road repair, and the longer it takes, the worse the damage, the harder it is ever going to be for us to catch up with it.”
Mr Hosking said agriculture spending had been cut again as well.
He said that had been happening every year, yet he could not recall when there has ever been a greater need for research and extension, especially dealing with climate change.
“On one hand the government is pulling money out of agriculture and rural and regional roads, and at the same time wanting to run power lines all over the place as part of its renewable energy strategy,” Mr Hosking said.
“But it is doing nothing to help the largest custodians of land in the state – the farmers.
“Farmers want to contribute to dealing with this change but the government wants to do nothing but cut investment – instead of supporting us, it is saying groups such as BCG and Mallee Sustainable Farming, the farmers, can pick up the cost of research instead.”
Mr Walsh described agriculture as the lifeblood of so much of regional and rural Victoria, and said government investment in this sector must rise, not shrink.
“Premier Jacinta Allan must realise agriculture doesn’t just feed Victoria, it keeps regional Victoria afloat,” Mr Walsh said.
“It supports the many small and large towns scattered across the state, it drives innovation in food and fibre production, and it helps secure the long-term future of the state.
“And the message from Spring Street is that it is more important Melbourne commuters can cut 10 or 15 minutes’ driving time on their way to work – at a cost of billions and billions of dollars.
“The logic is irrefutable – Victoria’s farmers supply all Victorians with the finest, freshest and safest food in the world, and without them we will be forced to rely on questionably unreliable imports.
“This is the message Ms Allan is sending rural and regional Victoria – a hole in the ground in Melbourne is worth much more than the people on the frontline feeding us all.”
Mr Walsh agreed with Ms Germano and Mr Hosking, and said the 2024 Budget had condemned regional Victorian to more “road roulette” with even more massive spending cuts.
He said 16 per cent “has been ripped out of an already inadequate road maintenance fund”, ensuring our roads will continue to not just get worse but get more dangerous.
“Regional Victoria is littered with black spots in urgent need of safety upgrades as well as repairs and now that just isn’t going to happen,” Mr Walsh said.
“Our regional road network is crumbling in front of our eyes – across northern Victoria that collapse has been accelerated by two, in some places three, massive flood events in the past decade.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the budget included $104 million to keep rail freight moving across Victoria.
She said the budget also included $62 million for upgrades to make regional roads safer, including upgrades to sections of the Princes, Western and Calder Highways.
“Sadly, what were previously considered once-in-a-generation flood events are now commonplace,” she said.
“Not only bringing record rainfall, they are also inflicting unprecedented damage to our roads.
“We are helping regional and rural communities get back on their feet and repairing flood-impacted roads.
“The Budget includes $964 million to maintain our state’s road network this coming year alone – including extra funding to clean up the damage from flooding.
“We’re investing an extra $100 million to repair our roads, including pavements, infrastructure and fixing landslips.”
In agriculture, Ms Allan said the government spend included another $85 million in the key area of biosecurity.
According to budget papers, an agriculture spend of $496.6 million in 2024-25 was up on the $454.8 million allocated last year, but down on the $504.1 million a year earlier.
Road asset management spending of $680.2 million was up on a budgeted $441.6 million last year and $592.7 million a year earlier.
