[Greens-Media] Media Release: Greens move to support Right to Farm defeated by Victorian government

[Elizabeth.Ingham at parliament.vic.gov.au]

A Greens amendment to support the Victorian Farmers Federation and the 
Right to Farm was voted down by the Liberal Nationals Coalition government 
in Victorian Parliament yesterday. 

Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber made two attempts to have legislation 
that would remove the commercial farming advice on land sale contracts 
examined and redrafted to support the Right to Farm and the Victorian 
Farmers Federation. He read out the Liberal Nationals Coalition's Right to 
Farm pre-election promise from the last state election in support of the 
move, but the Liberal Nationals Coalition MPs voted as a block to defeat 
the Greens. 

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Barber read out the Liberal Nationals 
Coalition's Right to Farm policy and said: 

"Them's fighting words. But the coalition will not do what it claims. In 
fact, it will do quite the opposite. Those on the other side of the 
chamber have come to government and somebody has gotten in their ear, and 
now they are saying, 'No, forget about all this stuff about warning labels 
on rural properties'. It's now all about cutting red tape. 

"Because of what I believe to be a major flaw in the bill, I have prepared 
a reasoned amendment.  I propose that ...  we implement the Liberals' own 
policy. 

"Not only has the government failed to honour its election promise to 
strengthen section 32; it has also removed the warning completely. In the 
words of the Victorian Farmers Federation president, Peter Tuohey, 'It was 
one of the few protections farmers had'. The Victorian Farmers Federation 
wants specific information about commercial agriculture near the property 
for sale to be included in the section 32 statement. 

Mr Barber described his amendments as: 

"1. being that the bill be withdrawn to fix this problem and no. 2 being 
that, failing that, this bill be referred to an inquiry for further 
discussion, to which no doubt there will be a government submission 
talking about its alternative approaches as well as some further 
elucidation from the VFF. For once we might even get some individual 
farmers having their voice heard in this place. Therefore I hope we 
receive some support for these amendments from members in this place. 

"I plead with members of the house to support my amendments. 

"We have had a 180-degree reversal of the Liberal-Nationals position. Now 
the Greens are standing up for the right to farm. I do not believe that 
the issues on this have been appropriately canvassed, otherwise we would 
not still be here arguing about it," said Mr Barber 

Full Hansard transcript of the debate here: http://tinyurl.com/ms7lzu4 

For comment: Greg Barber - 9348 2622

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Liz Ingham
Office of Greg Barber MLC
Northern Metropolitan Region
Victorian Greens Leader

P: 9348 2622
M: 0409 333 595
E: elizabeth.ingham at parliament.vic.gov.au
W: http://mps.vic.greens.org.au

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Parliament of Victoria                                                                                                                    . 
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