The Queensland Farmers Federation can only exist with government funding, hence like most other farm bodies it does exactly what Labor says. Furthermore it represents few farmers who have their feet on the ground.
There is nothing wrong with the Great Barrier Reef according to honest researchers, dive boats, tourist boats and fishermen who visit the reef on a daily basis.
Seven new trainee extension officers have their boots on the ground across Queensland as part of the Queensland Labor’s Agricultural Extension Work Placement Program.
The program, being facilitated through a partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation, is assisting farmers in Great Barrier Reef catchments enhance their land management practices.
It is part of Queensland Labor’s commitment to protect the Great Barrier Reef from one of its key threats – poor water quality. Since 2015, the government has invested more than $1 billion to protect the reef, including the current commitment of close to $290 million to the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program (QRWQP).
This includes a $125.1 million investment under the QRWQP to support the agricultural industry to improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef through initiatives such as industry-led best management practice programs, extension services, on-ground projects and the development of decision support tools.
This $2 million Agricultural Extension Work Placement Program is the latest round in a program that has been delivered by the Queensland Farmers Federation since 2018. To date, 31 extension officers have graduated from the program, many of whom continue to work in the agriculture or National Resource Management sectors in reef catchment areas.
The new extension officers have begun work placement programs with various natural resource management (NRM) groups and agricultural advisory groups.
They will be mentored by experienced leaders within their host organisation to help farmers refine their methods and enhance their business outcomes.
If we remove Labor doublespeak, it is clear to see these new officers have been sent to close down all farming east of the Great Dividing Range.
Just like Labor’s illegal tree police these misnomers are actually compliance officers who have already threatened to close down cattle and farming properties in Central Queensland because farmers want to reinstate former cultivation paddocks back to growing cereal crops to keep going after the manipulated cattle market prices dipped to 10 year lows last year.
The land owners were told they would be prosecuted if they ploughed previous cultivation paddocks.