The Nationals back farmers in vote of no confidence against Labor

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud congratulated agriculture’s peak policy-making forum after a vote of no confidence was passed against the Albanese Government.

Mr Littleproud said it was unprecedented that the peak agricultural industry body in Australia has made this decision, but is in direct response to the contempt the Albanese Government has treated farmers with for the last two years. Mr Littleproud said the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) Council, comprising Australia’s state and commodity agricultural organisations, had simply given up on Labor, after multiple failures by Agriculture Minister Murray Watt and an unprecedented walk-out by farmers during Minister Watt’s post-Budget reply breakfast speech this week.

“Farmers were blindsided when Minister Watt announced from a high-rise in Perth last Saturday that the live sheep export industry would be phased out by May 1, 2028,” Mr Littleproud said. Mr Littleproud added Labor also tried to introduce a fresh food tax, called a biosecurity protection levy, that would have forced farmers to pay for the biosecurity risks created by international importers and competitors.

Mr Littleproud said it took The Nationals to fight, standing alongside farmers and industry, to stop Labor’s reckless tax.“This policy would have driven up the price of fresh food amid a cost-of-living crisis. “The tax was so bad that The Nationals were able to convince even the Greens to vote it down in the Senate. “This terrible Labor Government needs to go. A future Coalition Government will help our farming industry and bring back the live sheep export trade."