Tasmanian farmers are planning to roll tractors onto the lawns of Parliament House next month in a rally against what they say is a crushing burden of regulation and government interference.
The protest has been organised by Lindsay White, the father of former state opposition leader turned federal assistant minister Rebecca White and the Farmers Landowners Action Group with support from TasFarmers.
It is set to be held at 11am on Thursday September 10.
Tractors from the Midlands, South East, Huon and Derwent Valley will converge on Hobart’s parliamentary precinct, subject to approval from Hobart City Council and Tasmania Police.
The rally comes at a difficult time for the state’s agricultural sector.
In April, TasFarmers warned that some growers were considering leaving crops unharvested because rising diesel prices and fertiliser shortages had squeezed margins to breaking point.
TasFarmers president Nathan Cox said at the time that harvesting may no longer stack up financially for some farmers.
“In this operating environment, it can be more cost-effective to just plough it back in,” he said.
Confidence has also taken a hit. The latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey found Tasmania’s net rural confidence index plunged from 21% to negative 38%, with nearly half of farmers surveyed citing rising input costs as a key concern.
Fuel security emerged as a new worry, with diesel prices climbing above $2.50 a litre on average across the state this month.
Rally organisers say farmers are being buried in red tape from both state and federal governments, with rules made by people who do not understand the practical realities of running a farm.
They want the Tasmanian government to review the Forest Practices Act, reduce unnecessary regulation, protect private farmland and property rights and compensate farmers where land use rights are removed or restricted.
There are also concerns that family farms could become unviable and be bought out by foreign investors or large companies for carbon farming and environmental offsets.
The state government last week opened public consultation on the future of the Forest Practices Regulations, which must be remade before they expire in April 2027.
Industry and Resources Minister Felix Ellis said the government wanted to hear directly from those who deal with the system day to day.
“We know these regulations play a role in the way many Tasmanian farmers and landowners manage their land, so we’re providing plenty of time for people to have their say,” he said.
“Feedback will be considered as it is received and if there are immediate improvements that can be made, we will take action.”
Ellis said the consultation would also help inform future improvements while the government continues to assess potential impacts from national environmental law reforms.
Prominent and outspoken Central Highlands farmer Will Bignell said he would be attending with at least one tractor.
“I’ve had enough,” he wrote online.
Bignell said the issue was not just about land clearing but about respect for farmers as professionals.
He pointed to a eucalyptus grove his father planted in the 1980s using seeds collected from their farms as a seed reserve, which has since been classified as a protected threatened species community under Commonwealth environmental laws – preventing its use.
“Some grub in Canberra approved that land grab – that’s a step too far,” he said.
Bignell said the climate had changed dramatically since 2000 but governments were not adapting alongside farmers.
Organisers say the rally will be peaceful and respectful, stressing that farmers care deeply about their land and the environment but believe the current system has become unfair and damaging.
They are calling for a public commitment from the premier and relevant ministers to begin an independent review of laws and government practices affecting the industry.
In a social media post on Saturday – Premier Jeremy Rockliff, a farmer himself, said he has “a lot of time for Lindsay White”.
“He calls a spade a spade. He means what he says and isn’t backwards in coming forwards when he sees something isn’t quite right,” Rockliff said.
He said they sat down together to talk about the “poor experiences” some farmers were having with red tape and what Rockliff described as “heavy handedness” with over regulation.
“Farmers need to be able to go about their business and create world-class Tasmanian produce, sustainably of course,” he said.
“I have heard local farmers, like Lindsay, loud and clear. And it’s time to get the balance right.”
