26th Nov 2018, 5:25 PM – Senate Motions - Farm Production - Criticising Greens candidate

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by National Senator John Williams (NSW), which means it succeeded. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own but can be politically influential as they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the National Farmers' Federation states that one Australian farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people, including 450 people overseas,

(ii) there are over 300,000 people directly employed in Australian agriculture, and

(iii) the gross value of Australian farm production in 2016-17 was $60 billion;

(b) further notes that:

(i) the Australian Greens endorsed candidate for the Federal seat of Page, Mr Daniel Reid, posted on Facebook "Cattle don't belong on this land and the cost of supporting them through drought is extreme", and

(ii) Mr Reid's Facebook post also included the statement "In Australia there are 26 million cattle that eat as much as 669 million kangaroos"; and

(c) calls on the Australian Greens to clarify whether they support farmers or kangaroos loose in the top paddock.