Who would have thought that when we met last year we would be facing a contracting economy and a health crisis? Yet here we are.
First, we want to thank both of you for your leadership at this time.
Prime Minister, the JobKeeper payments are not only keeping our businesses going, but by keeping the employees connected, we will be ready to address the pent-up demand in the recovery period.
Premier, we are encouraged by your talk of turbo-charged investment in infrastructure across Victoria.
We have a number of projects ready to go and look forward to seeing more cranes on the horizon and road and rail building crews plying their trade in our region.
You have both stated that we are going to need economic growth to help us get back to where we were and pay back the debt.
We in the Goulburn Valley are up to the task of making a massive contribution to this – via agricultural exports.
The demand for our dairy, fruit, meat and grain products remains strong, and every time ships of cheese and apples leave our port, valuable export dollars are coming back into Victoria.
The value of the Goulburn Valley’s agricultural production is approximately $1.4 billion each year.
We can do even more.
But if we are going to contribute to this much needed economic growth, we need water policy to be sorted out.
It has been drifting for years – since before the signing of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in 2012.
Many of our farmers see it flowing past, causing environmental damage to our rivers and taking the opportunities of jobs and exports with it.
Yes, some of it irrigates almond trees in the Riverland, and this also earns export dollars for the nation – but do we want to be overly reliant of the commodity price of one crop?
Yes, some it helps with environmental flows but we in the Goulburn Valley feel as though we are having to bear this burden alone.
What about the Northern Basin and the Darling River? Much of the water we send downstream away from our Valley props up artificial and unsustainable assets in South Australia, and much of it flows out to sea.
What if we could work together, look outside the box created by the toxic water debates of the past 12 years, and use our creativity to increase agricultural production whilst still preserving the environment.
It can be done with leadership at your level.
We implore you to drive reform of the system in line with the observations of the Productivity Commission report and harness the opportunity that our nation now so desperately needs.
“Rosie the Riveter” was a powerful symbol of the can-do attitude of the United States home front during World War II.
The character was based on a woman who set a record by putting 3500 rivets into a B24 Bomber during one night shift.
A crisis can bring out the best in people.
The United States was up against it in the 1940s – and Rosie stepped up. She just needed the rivets.
We in the Goulburn Valley are ready to step up and create more wealth for the state and nation.
We just need the water.
Regards,
Committee for Greater Shepparton
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