Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Environment and Planning Committee

Inquiry into Securing the Victorian Food Supply

Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (10:47): I am delighted to rise to talk about the Environment and Planning Committee report. Securing the Victorian food supply is an existential issue for our state now and into the future. As Victoria’s population continues to grow, the impact of urban sprawl in Melbourne and regional cities like mine in Ballarat is impacting our food producers and our farming industry.

I was pleased as chair of the Environment and Planning Committee to table our securing the food supply inquiry report, appendices and transcripts in this place yesterday, because committee work is so important and purposeful. I genuinely want to thank the members of the committee for their collaboration, their co-operation and their commitment to the inquiry. Thank you to the Deputy Chair, the member for Morwell; the member for Bass; the member for Croydon; the member for Monbulk; the member for Ripon and the member for Warrandyte. I note that both the member for Morwell and the member for Warrandyte will be making contributions, and I look forward to their contributions to this discussion on committee reports.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all members of the committee, and the pragmatic recommendations made in this report are a testament to this strong relationship that we have created. I would also like to thank our secretariat: our committee manager Igor Dosen, research officer Samatha Leahy and administrative officer Helen Ross-Soden for their outstanding work and the support they have given to the committee over the last year while we have undertaken this inquiry. Your efforts are appreciated, and the calibre of your work is admired. I would also like to welcome administration and research assistant Imogen Bacon, who joined the committee secretariat at the beginning of November this year. We look forward to working with you next year.

I particularly enjoyed spending time with the committee and secretariat during our regional visits to Gippsland, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. I found those days meeting with stakeholders really worthwhile, and I thank everyone for their time and interest in our inquiry, particularly people leaving their farms and taking time out of their day to really contribute – we are indebted to you.

The terms of reference for our committee were to undertake an inquiry into securing Victoria’s food supply in the context of urban sprawl and the impact of population growth on the farming industry and arable land.

The evidence considered throughout our inquiry supports greater coordination of efforts to improve the viability of agriculture, improved protection of all farmlands from inappropriate development and strengthening the resilience of our food system from shocks and stresses. I am so proud of the inquiry that we have undertaken and the 29 findings and 33 recommendations. These address Victoria’s food supply, population growth and urban sprawl, protecting agricultural land and agricultural covenants, supporting farmers to feed Victoria and a resilient food system.

Victorian farmers do essential work and are significant contributors to the state’s economy. They produce much of the food which keeps not only Victorians but Australians healthy, as well as exporting quality agricultural goods across the world and supporting the global food supply. I strongly believe that our agricultural sector needs to be supported as it faces growing demand for healthy, locally grown foods.

Farming in Victoria is facing many challenges. Our inquiry has found that some of the state’s most productive farmland on the fringe of Melbourne and our regional centres is being lost to development as the state urbanises to accommodate a growing population. Victoria’s population has grown rapidly in recent years and is forecast to top 10 million by 2051. The challenge of feeding and housing our expanding community is placing our agricultural sector under pressure. We found that greenfield residential developments on the fringes of our city are encroaching on arable land and the interface of urban communities and farms is making farming harder. Our inquiry heard that farmland is becoming fragmented, too expensive to be profitable and afflicted by pests, illegal rubbish dumping and trespassing. Instances of conflict and complaints about legitimate farming practices are occurring as residential and agricultural landowners are drawn closer to each other by inappropriate development.