Nats MP slams agriculture cuts

Colin Barnett has been accused from within his own Government ranks of being responsible for an agricultural sector con-job, in the wake of recent vicious cuts to the Department of Agriculture and Food.

The industry is still reeling from sobering changes of direction confirmed by DAFWA director-general Rob Delane at a private industry meeting last week, where he told attendees about the wind-up of research and development work.

The State Government has slashed the DAFWA budget by another $30 million in its efforts to pay down record State debt of $30 billion.

The latest cuts have major ramifications for DAFWA's vision of doubling the value of the State's farm and food production to about $12 billion a year over the next decade.

Farmers have been told that DAFWA will function as little more than a regulatory body after the loss of scores of key staff in research and development.

The budget cuts will also prevent WA accessing Commonwealth funds available under dollar-for-dollar industry development schemes.

Nationals WA member for the agricultural region Paul Brown told _Countryman _ the Premier had misled the electorate about what he had in mind for agriculture in WA.

"With the Premier saying he was going to prioritise agriculture because we were entering the 'dining boom' and exiting the 'mining boom', I think once again the agriculture sector was conned," he said.

"In the 2013 election campaign the Premier, during a trip through the Wheatbelt, said to the agricultural industry that he was going to have a special interest in agriculture.

"I haven't yet seen that special interest, in fact I would hate to see what would happen if he were to take less of an interest."

But Mr Brown said the DAFWA budget reduction was a sign of the times reflecting the change in agriculture.

"Nowadays there are a lot more farmers getting their advice, particularly around agronomy, weather and markets directly from private industry," he said.

"Biosecurity is an issue and we want to ensure our State and borders are protected.

"I want to ensure the core of funding remains towards biosecurity, regulation and research and development for the non-viable things.

"The commercially viable R&D will be taken up by the private sector but some of those 10-year projects should remain housed in the department."

Mr Brown also said he thought Mr Delane had been unfairly treated.

During an estimates hearing last week, Liberal MLCs Nigel Hallet and Brian Ellis were scathing of Mr Delane and his department, accusing them of lacking vision and morale.

"I thought Mr Delane made a very good response in that the department responds to what it is given," Mr Brown said.

"It's up to the minister of the day to make sure his department is funded.

"It's a bit convenient to be blaming the director-general for some of these programs, when it does come down to the Government to pass the budget, and more importantly, it is up to the minister to go to the treasurer and say that the funding reductions are too savage and it is going to compromise programs."

I would hate to see what would happen if Colin Barnett were to take less of an interest in agriculture Paul Brown