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FarmBis axing will hurt rural skill shortage

I think this article from Rural Press really sums up many peoples’ comments about the closure of the FarmBis program!

If you feel strongly about this, as I do, I urge you to lobby your local Member of Parliament – let them know just how important FarmBis is to the industry.

The Federal Government’s axing of FarmBis, the assistance program for rural skilling, is set to harm agriculture’s battle to overcome labour shortages.

The Federal Government has announced that the national program in Victoria, New South Wales, and the ACT will cease immediately while the state-run programs in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory will cease on June 30, 2008.

Nationals Leader Warren Truss has slammed the Government’s $98 million cost-cutting plan, saying it was proof of Labor’s city-centric focus.

“Labor apparently believes that skills and staff shortages start and finish in the inner suburbs,” Mr Truss said.

“The Coalition left the Rudd Government with record workforce participation and historically very low unemployment.

“This has meant that local communities all over Australia have struggled at times to find the right people to fit into the right jobs.

“With many communities emerging from a cruel drought and needing skilled workers, now is the wrong time to be cutting programs that provide skills to tens of thousands of rural and regional workers or make it harder for apprentices to survive financially.”

Queensland lobby group, AgForce, says the axing of FarmBis is a clear breach of Labor’s pre-election Plan for Primary Industries, which stated the FarmBis budget would reduce by $8m each year for the next three years, ceasing in 2010-2011.

In announcing the imminent axing of FarmBis, the Federal Government said the funds would be repackaged into climate change programs currently being developed “but will include initiatives to build the capacity of primary producers to meet the challenges of climate change”.

AgForce president Peter Kenny said he had earlier received a commitment from Agriculture Minister Tony Burke that the new programs would achieve similar outcomes to FarmBis, but the statement released today does not necessarily confirm that.

“It would be a backward step for rural industries, particularly at a time when they are emerging from a prolonged drought and in a position to invest time in training programs, if options to develop better business management skills are truncated,” Mr Kenny said.

“I am hopeful that Minister Burke will honour the commitment he gave to us, but until further details are announced we cannot be confident because Labor’s pre-election commitment on FarmBis has already been watered-down.”

SOURCE: National rural news updated daily on FarmOnline.

February 2008 comment TrackBack-URI

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