The Federal Coalition has formed a water taskforce to focus on identifying new projects in each state and territory. Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said the Water Taskforce was desperately needed, given Labor has done nothing more than a discussion paper on its Food Security Strategy. “The Taskforce will work with each state and territory to identify new projects as well as upgrades to existing projects,” Senator Canavan said. “The Taskforce will use a collaborative approach and encourage states and territories to participate. “We need this taskforce, because Labor's food security strategy isn't even looking at ways to unlock more food bowls in our country. “Labor isn’t considering our enormous population growth of 50 per cent this century alone – one of the fastest growing in the world. “A huge problem is that Labor isn’t trying to build dams or capture more water supplies to grow more food. The Department told Estimates last week water isn’t something it is ‘principally concerned with’. “Labor only sees the challenges as being not limited to climate change, economic shocks, biosecurity threats, geopolitical factors and supply chain disruptions. “It is startling that Labor’s food security strategy doesn’t focus on dams – when food can only be grown and produce through the use of water. “A future Coalition Government will be hyper-focused on building more dams and unleashing the food growing potential of our nation.” Shadow Minister for Water Michael McCormack said it has been too long since Australia invested in water infrastructure for the future. “Our farmers grow the best food and fibre in the world, and we need to grow the water available for agriculture as well as our growing population,” Mr McCormack said. “The Taskforce will work with the state and territory governments across Australia to identify water projects that will support our towns and industries.” Senator Canavan added Australia’s buffer to producing more food is shrinking. “While the value of Australian farm production has more than doubled this century, its real volume has only grown by 30 per cent. Our increase in food production is not matching population,” Senator Canavan said. Australian farming is not growing as it should because: We have stopped building dams and opening new areas of farm production. We have actively shut down production in our nation’s foodbowl, the Murray-Darling, through water buybacks. More than 90 per cent of our carbon emission reductions have come from converting productive farmland to forest, or more accurately to hosts for pests and weeds. Labor’s net zero agenda has pushed up costs and ended the local production of key farm inputs, like fertiliser. “If longer-run trends continue, Australia could face domestic production shortfalls across many supermarket staples by the end of the next decade. “Under this scenario, by 2040 imports could be needed to cover one in six apples, four in 10 blocks of butter and nearly half of pork consumption. “Projected shortfalls could also reach around one-fifth of egg consumption, around 15 per cent of chicken and rice consumption and 7 per cent of cheese consumption. Strict biosecurity restrictions currently limit imports of eggs and chicken.” Office of Senator Matthew Canavan
