Tasmanian farmers are welcoming the appointment of local Labor MP Julie Collins to the federal Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry portfolio.
TasFarmers President Ian Sauer said he is hopeful the move will provide an opportunity for a “renewed partnership” between the industry and the government.
“In my view, it’s great to have a Tasmanian Minister in such an important portfolio,” he said.
“We want to have a partnership and a collaborative working relationship with the Minister and her department. We’ve all got to work together as Team Tasmania.”
Sauer believes the switch away from Murray Watt will be a “reset” for “tensions” between the agricultural advocacy sector and the Australian government and will provide certainty for irrigation funding for Tasmania and a focus on the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme.
“We know [Collins] is a listener and thinker, which is terrific because we want matters that affect Australian agriculture to be well-considered and based on science, not philosophy,” he said.
The state government also welcomed the appointment, saying Collins “now holds the pen on some of the most critically important industries to Tasmania’s economic prosperity”.
“Thousands of Tasmanians are employed across these critical industries and we welcome having a Tasmanian Minister who knows first-hand how important it is to provide certainty and stability to these industries, jobs, and our State’s economy,” Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Eric Abetz said.
“I am confident that Minister Collins will stand up for our sustainable primary industries and the unique natural environments in which they operate, not sacrificing either for the sake of the other.”
