A cabinet reshuffle in Canberra, sparked by the resignation of two senior ministers, has landed the Australian Agricultural sector with a new minister.
Tasmanian MP Julie Collins has been announced as the new Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, with Murray Watt shifting into the role of Employment and Workplace Relations Minister.
The Tasmanian MP will remain Minister for Small Business but, unlike Minister Watt, will not be asked to also be Minister for Emergency Management.
Who Is The New Minister for Agriculture?
The Hon Julie Collins MP is the Federal Member for the Tasmanian seat of Franklin, the southernmost electorate in Australia. The division of Franklin consists of the Huon Valley, the City of Clarence, and part of Kingborough. It is classified as a Outer Metropolitan seat.
Collins became the member for Franklin in 2007 at 36 years old, with a resume consisting of various administrative positions for Tasmanian Labor MPs and state government departments. From 1998 to 2003 she worked in an administrative capacity for State Premier Jim Bacon.
She was also the State President of Young Labor in 1996, served as state secretary of the ALP from 2006 to 2007 and has a certificate in business administration.
Ms Collins, who lives on Hobart’s Eastern Shore, was shadow agriculture minister from January 2021 until being switched to the housing and small business portfolios two days after the federal election on May 23, 2022.
Ms Collins posted on social media that she welcomed the “great honour to serve as the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and thank the Prime Minister for this new challenge”.
“Agriculture plays a vital role in our country, and our national economy continues to rely on a strong and diverse sector,” she said.
Supporting Minister Collins as Assistant Minister will be ALP Senator the Hon Anthony Chisholm (QLD), who also has roles as Assistant Minister for Education and Assistant Minister for Regional Development.
Murray Moves to Employment
Murray Watt’s 26-month stint as the nation’s Agriculture Minister is over, leaving a mixed legacy behind.
While Minister Watt has faced criticism from the industry, he is widely seen as a “gold performer” by his Labor colleagues. According to Farm Online, he was promoted partly due to his adept media performances and proven ability to publicly advocate for Labor’s positions.
One example of these differing perspectives is his management of the contentious ban on live sheep exports by sea. Critics argue that the ban is harmful to the agriculture industry and regional communities, while supporters commend it for emphasizing the party’s election promise.
Through social media, Minister Watt listed some of his achievements in the agriculture portfolio as strengthening Australia’s biosecurity system, opening new trade markets and increasing investment in long-term drought resilience.
He also said he was “privileged” to have worked with the Agriculture and Emergency Management sectors and “some incredible stakeholders” and that he was “honoured” to take on his new role to fight to “get more Australians into work and for workers to have better paid, secure and safer jobs”.
National Farmers Federation President David Jochinke said Minister Watt’s time would most likely be remembered for its heated conflicts with the sector – from live sheep, to water buybacks, to the biosecurity tax proposal and visa disputes.
“There’s no doubt we’ve seen some policies that have deeply impacted and enraged our sector,” he said.
“But we also acknowledge his partnership and willingness to work with the sector on sustainability, establishing the workplace tripartite working group, and delivery of enhanced funding for biosecurity. His commitment to normalising our trade with China and ensuring Australian agriculture didn’t end up with a bad deal in the EU free trade agreement will also be remembered well.”
Nationals Party Leader and former Minister for Agriculture, The Hon David Littleproud MP was slightly more blunt in his acknowledgement of the outgoing minister.
“Murray Watt has left a legacy of treating Australian farmers with contempt and ignoring their needs during his time as Agriculture Minister,” Mr Littleproud said.
“There won’t be too many farmers sad to see Murray Watt’s departure and if this Labor Government’s track record over the past two years is anything to go by, his successor won’t treat farmers much differently.”
Industry Reacts to New Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Industry bodies and spokespeople from across Australian agricultural sectors have welcomed Minister Collins and Senator Chisholm to the role, indicating their hope for a collaborative, commonsense approach.
National Farmers Federation President David Jochinke welcomed Minister Collins and Assistant Minister Chisholm to their roles, calling on them to work collaboratively with an industry that is of “enormous strategic importance”.
“We hope Minister Collins will be a champion for sensible policies to support and grow our farm sector,” Mr Jochinke said.
“We look forward to also working with Senator Chisholm and having that additional horsepower of an assistant minister in the portfolio.”
Grain Producers Australia (GPA) Chair, Barry Large, said the new combination of Agriculture and Small Business for Minister Collins makes sense, recognising that because farmers are also running businesses of different sizes and locations that face many challenges not limited to constants seasonal and market fluctuations.
“We welcome continued engagement and close collaboration to ensure this support is fair and equitable and pragmatic, and the voice of Australian grain producers is clearly understood and included in decision making and policy development processes,” he said.
GPA Interim Chief Executive Pete Arkle said Senator Chisholm’s experiences in government and his new portfolio combination will also be valuable in these processes of collaboration and listening to farmers about ways to solve these challenges we face – and to continue producing food and fibre sustainability and affordably, with more certainty.
NSW Farmers Association posited the change as presenting a fresh opportunity for the industry. President Xavier Martin said while the incoming Federal Agriculture Minister had a big task ahead of her, the portfolio was also a unique opportunity to drive positive change within the sector to keep farmers farming.
“While there’s much to be done, by working together with the new Minister’s team, there’s much we can do to make a positive difference within the industry and the rural communities that rely on it,” noted Mr Martin.
Littleproud Holds Nothing Back on New Minister for Ag
The Hon David Littleproud MP said the appointment of a new Agriculture Minister won’t change the Albanese Labor Government’s litany of disastrous decisions that have impacted the agricultural sector in just two years.
“During the past two years, Labor’s agenda has increased taxes, cut funding, abolished industries, and failed to stand up for farmers, which is driving up the cost of living for Australian families,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Julie Collins won’t change anything because agriculture is seen as a stepping stone into cabinet for Labor members and Minister Collins will toe the line.
“When Julie Collins was last Shadow Minister for Agriculture, she visited farmers outside Tasmania on two occasions over 18 months and could not detail one Labor policy in the election debate.”
“Julie Collins has no interest in agriculture and has been punished for her poor performance in housing, so now not only farmers will pay but all Australians will pay through higher prices for their food and fibre from a government uninterested in agriculture.”
Mr Littleproud called on the incoming Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to “step up in Cabinet and start reversing the wrongs of the past two years”.
He listed 10 priorities that he believes need to be addressed, including reinstating the live sheep export industry, scrapping Labor’s Fresh Food Tax, taking action against major supermarkets gouging farmers and families and bolstering biosecurity measures against threats such as the Red Imported Fire Ants and Varroa Mite.
Sources: Beef Central, NSW Nationals, NFF, GPA, NSW Farmers, Farm Online