❓ Mr. Blayney asks how the 'Bridging the Yield Gap' initiative will benefit regional communities. Mr. Redman explains the initiative aims to increase grain yields in high rainfall areas, boosting farmers' income and stimulating local economies.
AnsweredQoN 76Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GRAIN GROWERS — BRIDGING THE YIELD GAP
As there are many grain growers in my electorate, I welcome the minister’s recent announcement of the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative to boost the productivity of grain growers. Can the minister please explain to the house how this initiative will lead to broader social benefits for regional communities? Mr D.T. REDMAN
As there are many grain growers in my electorate, I welcome the minister’s recent announcement of the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative to boost the productivity of grain growers. Can the minister please explain to the house how this initiative will lead to broader social benefits for regional communities? Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton again for his ongoing interest in the agricultural sector. I also really appreciate his supportive discussions in the debate last evening on this wonderful decision we have made to further the industry in Western Australia. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton again for his ongoing interest in the agricultural sector. I also really appreciate his supportive discussions in the debate last evening on this wonderful decision we have made to further the industry in Western Australia. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
I thank the member for Geraldton again for his ongoing interest in the agricultural sector. I also really appreciate his supportive discussions in the debate last evening on this wonderful decision we have made to further the industry in Western Australia. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton again for his ongoing interest in the agricultural sector. I also really appreciate his supportive discussions in the debate last evening on this wonderful decision we have made to further the industry in Western Australia. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
I thank the member for Geraldton again for his ongoing interest in the agricultural sector. I also really appreciate his supportive discussions in the debate last evening on this wonderful decision we have made to further the industry in Western Australia. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I have been talking for some time about redefining and reforming the Department of Agriculture and Food to deliver to the sector that it serves. I have talked about centring the agency as an economic development agency. A number of people have asked me what that means. It simply means that every decision we make, every direction of resources that we take and the deployment of those resources is targeted to make a difference to the bottom line of the farming community. It is targeted to put money in the pockets of our farmers. As the member for Geraldton quite rightly highlights, that clearly makes a big difference to regional communities in the very broad sense. One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
One such initiative I launched a number of weeks ago was the Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. Members may recall that I tabled a number of documents in the chamber that walked through the engagement that we are having with the farming community to ensure that decisions we make fall in step with industry. Part of that was to put in strategies and target some outcomes that we are chasing. One initiative that came from that is this Bridging the Yield Gap initiative. It will target the greater-than-350-millimetre rainfall zone to try to increase the grain yields in that zone. If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
If we look at the rainfall across the state, the farmers who are in our low rainfall areas are getting a high percentage of the potential yield they should get from rainfall. Clearly, in the high rainfall areas, we are not getting the sort of potential we should be getting from rainfall. In fact, those farmers have had averages of something like 2.5 tonnes a hectare for the past 15 years. Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Several members interjected. Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : As always, there is very little interest from the opposition in this significant industry in Western Australia. The industry is worth $8 billion to us. The only thing the opposition can do is target shots across the floor without taking some interest in what this government is doing for a very important sector. There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
There is a huge shift in thinking and resources. We will target $3 million to this initiative in the first year to highlight and identify the barriers to the yields in those regions, as well as profitability. We will work with the farming community to ensure that it has the knowledge and skills to make that difference. There is potential there for an extra two million tonnes of grain in the high rainfall areas of Western Australia. This is an initiative that we are targeting to make a difference. We will put money into the pockets of Western Australian farmers. Of course, the flow-on effects from that are significant. We know that when farmers are doing well the local shops are doing well—the dress shops, the grocery stores, the fuel stations and so on. The flow-on effects are significant. We are clearly targeting farmers in Western Australia by putting money into their pockets by making a difference. We are not trying to be all things to everybody but to target the resources where we can to make that difference. Of course it is good for rural communities and it is good for the state. That is why we are doing it.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.