21 November 2017 Katherine Time
by Chris McLennan
Miner and the NT’s biggest landholder Gina Rinehart has been announced as patron of National Agriculture and Related Industries Day.
She attended a gala dinner to celebrate this inaugural day at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
“Importantly too, where would we raise the missing taxes to help pay for hospitals, police, elderly , defence, roads and bridges, parks and more, if it weren’t for the contribution of our agricultural sector?
“Many people speak about the growth of our agricultural industry; the hard work and expertise of our farmers, our fresh air, closeness to Asia, developing the north, all good things, but I hope this day develops a greater understanding of the critical need for our agricultural industry to be cost competitive internationally, given the important fact that most of the markets for our agriculture are actually overseas, so we must compete globally.
“To underpin our cost competitiveness and enable Australian agricultures sustainability, we need to lower all forms of government cost burdens, be that red tape, compliance, taxes, or ever increasing license costs, which important point needs to be mentioned also, and actioned.”
The inaugural day is an initiative of Mrs Rinehart’s and is being supported by the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of West Australia, the National Farmers Federation, the Federal Government, and other organisations and the agricultural industry around Australia.
The National Agriculture and Related Industries Day was today celebrated from Perth to Wagga Wagga, Kingaroy to Alice Springs, and Canberra to Tasmania, with farmers, individuals and organisations holding functions and events.
‘What a fantastic start for an inaugural day!” Mrs Rinehart said, clearly very delighted with the inaugural day.
