Tony Abbott said that he had hit the reset button, but it appears he actually hit the replay button, by continuing to deliver broken promises.
The Abbott Government’s White Paper on Agricultural Competitiveness is nowhere to be seen with no indication when the agriculture sector can expect to see it.
Prior to the election Tony Abbott was adamant that his government would deliver the white paper within 12 months of office.
“The White Paper will be conducted by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and will report within 12 months. Our White Paper will also provide a clear, well-defined and transparent strategic approach to ensure the agriculture sector remains a significant contributor to the Australian economy and local communities”.
The Coalition’s policy for a competitive Agriculture sector, August 2013
What we were afraid was going to be 12 months of policy inertia we now know will be much longer.
Meanwhile, the sector has no clear policy and strategic guidance from the Abbott government at a time of enormous change – with both challenges and opportunities.
Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott can’t continue to tell farmers they’ll have answers to their questions when the White Paper is released. For many of them, it will be too late.
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