The Government’s Plan confirms, beyond doubt, what we already knew: our farmers and our agricultural lands hold the key to delivering Australia’s 2050 goal.
The NFF has been a leading advocate for a fair and planned transition to economy wide Net Zero.
We recognised the economic and environmental imperative of Net Zero, and sought to be a constructive contributor to this discussion – ensuring the role of farmers was recognised.
We’re pleased to see that by avoiding regulation and taxes, the Government’s Plan is a departure from the failed Kyoto approach which saw farmers regulated into footing the bill without recompense or recognition.
Instead, this Plan recognises the hard work agriculture has already done in driving down Australia’s emissions since 2005.
It also recognises the tremendous opportunity that exists to use agricultural land as a carbon sink, by working with and incentivising our farmers to do even more.
We welcome the review mechanism, which will see the PC carry out five-yearly measurements of the impact of the Plan on rural and regional Australia, the first one in 2023.
What we still need to understand are those critical details negotiated within the Coalition. From what we read, these discussions have delivered important protections to ensure farmers are able to participate in sequestration opportunities.
Many of the measures reported – such as improvements to tax treatment, Kyoto recognition and EPBC Act reform – are key NFF priorities.
Now that the political process has played out, it’s time for Government to sit down with our industry and get stuck into the detail of how we deliver on this together, and make sure it stacks up for farmers.
