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Agriculture | May 09, 2019

Farmers don’t rate a mention in Labor’s review

The Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy says farmers facing further rises in farm rates this year continue to be ignored by the Andrews Labor Government.

Labor’s Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek was asked in Parliament last week to explain why a review into rates fails to address the number one issue facing farmers: the unfair rates cap.

In Parliament, the Minister made the bizarre claim that the rates cap “stops rates increasing”.

Ms Kealy said the Minister’s response showed Labor was out of touch with country Victoria.

“The Andrews Labor Government has completely missed the point of this rates review if it thinks its failed rates cap has been a success,” Ms Kealy said.

“Farmers who saw their rates rise by 30 per cent last year will completely disagree with the Minister’s bizarre claim.

“With rates notices set to arrive in letter boxes soon and the Andrews Government refusing to apply the rates cap to all rating categories while the review is carried out, there’s huge concern that farmers will see further rates increases this year.”

The Minister also falsely claimed he had consulted with the Victorian Farmers Federation on the rates review’s Terms of Reference (ToR).

VFF President David Jochinke has confirmed the peak farmer’s representative body “was not consulted during the development of the terms of reference for this review”.