Farm leaders call on new Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to be a ‘champion for sensible policies’

There’s been a mixed response from farmers to the appointment of Julie Collins as Australia’s new Federal agriculture minister, as the Tasmanian MP declared it was a “great honour” to take over the “vital” portfolio. Ms Collins held the portfolio in opposition in the lead up to the 2022 election and replaces Senator Murray Watt, who is the new employment and workplace relations minister. She also retains her small business portfolio under the Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday. The Member for Franklin said in a statement on Monday that her electorate was home to “so many incredible farmers” and she was committed to “engaging and listening” to rural communities. “I welcome the great honour to serve as the minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry in the Albanese Labor Government and thank the Prime Minister for this new challenge,” Ms Collins said. “Agriculture plays a vital role in our country, and our national economy continues to rely on a strong and diverse sector.” Queensland Senator Anthony Chisholm was appointed assistant agriculture minister. Ms Collins said she was looking forward to “continuing the good work” of her predecessor, who is reviled by many WA farmers after overseeing the passing of legislation to ban live sheep exports from May 2028. INDUSTRY REACTS WAFarmers president John Hassell told Countryman Senator Watt should be “kicked out of Parliament” for his role in shutting down the trade. “He leaves a pretty damning legacy and he’ll forever be known as someone who’s prepared to wipe out industries based on rotten political ideology from minority groups,” Mr Hassell said. “He was given the task and he did it, and so he’s going to be rewarded by the Labor Party.” Mr Hassell said he doubted whether anyone in Federal Labor was qualified for the agriculture portfolio, adding he would only endorse a minister who was prepared to scrap the live export ban. Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook was scathing, saying the only legacy Senator Watt left was one of “carnage”. He said the Queenslander had demonstrated he “had no autonomy” and was “just taking his orders from above”. “I have no reason to suspect the new minister will be any different when it comes down to fulfilling Labor Party policy,” Mr Seabrook said. “They all sat in party room meetings together; they’re all complicit. If she (Ms Collins) was going to defend this (live sheep exports), she certainly didn’t exhibit any capacity to do so.” National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke said Senator Watt would be remembered for various “heated conflicts with the sector”. “From live sheep, to water buybacks, to the biosecurity tax proposal and visa disputes . . . there’s no doubt we’ve seen some policies that have deeply impacted and enraged our sector,” Mr Jochinke said. “We hope minister Collins will be a champion for sensible policies to support and grow our farm sector.” Mr Jochinke acknowledged Senator Watt’s “willingness to work with the sector” on other issues including sustainability, biosecurity and foreign trade. But he said Ms Collins, who was sworn in on Monday, must strengthen agriculture’s relationship with the Government. “His (Senator Watt’s) commitment to normalising our trade with China and ensuring Australian agriculture didn’t end up with a bad deal in the EU free trade agreement will be remembered well,” Mr Jochinke said. Grain Producers Australia chairman Barry Large also welcomed Ms Collins and said the combination of agriculture and small business portfolios “makes sense”. “We welcome continued engagement and close collaboration to ensure . . . the voice of Australian grain producers is clearly understood and included in decision-making and policy development processes,” he said. Australian Livestock Exporters chief executive Mark Harvey Sutton was less optimistic. “Normally, we’d be putting out statements or making remarks that we look forward to working with the agriculture minister and the opportunities that might present,” he told Countryman. “Unfortunately, given the track record of this Government across the board, I think the best we can say is we’re hopeful that the new ag minister will bring fresh eyes to the portfolio (and) hopefully have some recognition of the damage that her Government has caused the sector.” Nationals leader David Littleproud said the reshuffle would not change the Albanese Government’s “litany of disastrous decisions”. He said Ms Collins “won’t achieve anything” and accused her of having “no interest in agriculture”. “Murray Watt has left a legacy of treating Australian farmers with contempt and ignoring their needs during his time as agriculture minister,” Mr Littleproud said. “There won’t be too many farmers sad to see Murray Watt’s departure and if this Labor Government’s track record over the past two years is anything to go by, his successor won’t treat farmers much differently.” WHO IS JULIE COLLINS? Ms Collins also held the portfolios of Housing and Homelessness before Sunday’s cabinet reshuffle. A lifelong Hobart local with a Certificate IV in Business Accounting, she has been a member of the Labor party since 1988. Her previous roles include administrative assistant to the minister for health from 1990 to 1992, administrative officer at the department of health from 1992 to 1993, and business support officer for Hydro Tasmania in 1998. She became the first female representative for Franklin in 2007, and has been re-elected into the role five times. Ms Collins has had many parliamentary party positions over the years, standing in as the shadow minister for employment services (2013-2016), ageing and mental health (2016-2019), and women (2019-2021). She has pursued and backed policies concerning health services, education and fairness in the workplace. However, Ms Collins failed to impress West Australian farmers as shadow agriculture minister after she evaded questions about Labor’s position on the live sheep trade in the lead-up to the 2022 election. Labor’s plans to ban the trade was only confirmed on a policy scorecard created by activist group the Australian Alliance for Animals two weeks before the election. Alliance policy director Jed Goodfellow this week said Senator Watt’s “successful tenure” would leave a “lasting legacy for animal welfare”. The Australian Meat Industry Council — the national peak body representing retailers, processors and smallgoods manufacturers — said Senator Watt’s efforts had “positively impacted” the industry. “AMIC has valued the productive collaboration with Murray Watt on critical issues such as biosecurity, trade access, and the Agricultural Workforce Working Group,” an AMIC spokesman said. “We look forward to continuing this relationship in his new role as minister for employment and workplace relations, where our industry has many continuing challenges that need to be addressed if it is to meet the policy outcomes set by Minister Watt whilst minister for agriculture.” Sheep Producers Australia chief executive Bonnie Skinner said Ms Collins’ appointment was an “opportunity to start a fresh dialogue”. “SPA will continue to work closely and collaboratively with our producers and the broader industry supply chain to strengthen agriculture’s relationship with the Government and advocate for good policy that benefits and sustains the industry,” she said. The reshuffle locks in the frontbench Mr Albanese will take to the next election and fuels speculation he is preparing to send voters to the polls early. Fremantle MP Josh Wilson has been promoted to the ranks of the assistant ministry but WA remains with just one seat in Cabinet after a trio of Perth-based MPs — Matt Keogh, Anne Aly and Patrick Gorman — were overlooked for bigger roles. Resources Minister Madeleine King will remain WA’s lone voice in Mr Albanese’s 23-member Cabinet. Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash said the decision not to hand WA a second Cabinet spot was a “slap in the face” to the State. “It is completely unacceptable that there is still only one Cabinet minister from WA. WA has little to no voice in Canberra,” she told The West Australian. “If Mr Albanese has no confidence in his WA team, then neither should Western Australians at the next election.” WA is considered severely underrepresented around the Cabinet table given the State’s importance to the national economy and its role in securing Mr Albanese’s majority Government at the 2022 election. Mr Albanese on Sunday insisted the State had not been short-changed. “We’ve actually just promoted additional WA representation,” he said, referencing Mr Wilson’s elevation from the backbench.