THE Federal Government does appreciate the efforts and achievements of the agricultural sector which is outshining all others during this global financial crisis, farmers were told at last night's gala dinner at the NFF Congress in Brisbane.
Western Australian Senator and chairman of the Rural and Regional Affairs Senate Committee, Glenn Sterle, addressed guests at the National Farmers Federation black-tie ball following the first day of the inaugural congress, after Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, pulled out at the last minute.
With the "utegate" scandal engulfing Canberra this week, there was a distinct lack of pollie power in Brisbane for the NFF Congress after senior MPs were ordered to stay in Canberra and not to travel.
Senator Sterle told farmers that supporting jobs and investing in the nation's economic recovery were the Government's priorities to tackle the global recession.
He said while no industry was immune from the downturn "agriculture has a very positive story to tell".
"We can't underestimate agriculture's capacity to drive economic growth in this country," Senator Sterle said.
"You only have to look at the most recent sets of national accounts where agriculture made a positive contribution to the GDP.
"We are ensuring Australia is well positioned when the global recovery comes so we can make the most of the opportunities when they're there.
"And when that happens we want to ensure that agriculture's story continues to be a positive one."
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