HUGE increases to the emergency services tax and crumbling roads have emerged as big pinch points in a survey of farmers.
Victorian Farmers’ Federation’s first State of the State: Victorian Farmer Priorities Survey also found biosecurity and forcing renewable energy infrastructure developments on communities at the top of a list of concerns.
More than 700 Victorian farmers also outlined their lack of trust in the Victorian Government, with nine in ten saying they don’t believe the state government understands their issues or has a positive plan to grow the $20 billion dollar industry.
VFF president Brett Hosking said the frank results should ring alarm bells for the Victorian Government and be a ‘wake up’ call for genuine engagement and discussion with farmers and rural communities.
“Farmers and our regional communities have sent a blunt message that they aren’t being listened to and have lost faith that our Victorian Government has their back.
“From massive increases to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, roads literally falling apart and communities being steamrolled in the face of renewable energy infrastructure, farmers have a lot to worry about.
“More than 92 per cent of farmers don’t believe the Victorian Government understands or is even listening to the concerns of farming communities. 
“That’s a massive indictment and it must change, because they’ve lost the trust of these farming communities,” Mr Hosking said.
Despite the blunt results of the survey, Mr Hosking said there remained considerable opportunity and a bright outlook for Victorian agriculture.
“Victorian farmers are the best in the nation at what they do. We produce 25 per cent of Australia’s food and fibre value using just three per cent of Australia’s farmland. We employ more than 150 thousand people and contribute more than $20 billion to Victoria’s and Australia’s economy.
“When we have the nation’s best farmers working on the nation’s best farmland, imagine what we could achieve if our Victorian and Australian governments supported our farmers to achieve even more.
“We’re just over 12 months from the next state election. We want to support all sides of politics to get solutions to these issues and grow Victoria’s farming future,” Mr Hosking said.