16 December 2008
Tony Burke speaking with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
The Ord River irrigation area, Kununurra, WA
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Tony Burke: G’day, it’s Tony. Today I’m out in Kununurra with a bloke who you know called Kevin. And today we are out at the Ord—at the Ord irrigation area. And PM maybe you could let us know just the announcements today about the Ord stage 2, the actual money and where it’s headed and what sort of vision you’ve got for (inaudible).
Kevin Rudd: Okay, thanks Tony. I’m Kevin—I’m from Queensland, but I’m in Western Australia. Actually, that’s the Northern Territory just over there. We’re up here today to talk to the premier about $195 million closing to invest with them dollar for dollar on building Ord Stage 2. Ord 1 is about 13 to 14 thousand hectares. Ord Stage 2—if we get it right—effectively doubles that. It opens up a whole new slice of farming land for Australia’s farming future, for horticulture and a range of other products as well.
So, it’s been good. We’ve been out choppering around seeing where this land goes all over the NT border—and you never know what might happen on the other side of that border in due course … but still a little way to go yet.
Tony: And one of the things that was raised at some of the briefings today was linking in to some of the Indigenous employment opportunities that could be … (inaudible)
Kevin: Up here in the Kimberley in the Kununurra area, half the population is Indigenous and the unemployment level, unfortunately, is really high. So, what we’ve got to do is to make sure that we are providing sustainable job opportunities for Indigenous Australians as well. The good thing about this—because of local Indigenous buy-in to this project—is there’s a real chance of providing sustainable farm jobs for Indigenous Australians as well. That’s got to be part of the future.
Tony: Well, one thing that I’m often asked when I’m about the Ord, is with the growth of Sandlewood – we always talk about the need for a food bowl but I often get questions thrown at me so now I’ll throw it at you…in terms of—
Kevin: Sandlewood is about that high and about that wide.
Tony: (Laughs)—but—
Kevin: There’s a Sandlewood farmer over here.
Tony: Would the government intervene and be telling farmers what they can and can’t grow?
Kevin: No, I’ve been asked that today up in the Ord and in my experience—having grown up on a farm myself—is that farmers know their land, they know what’s best done on their land, what’s going to deal, provide the best and sustainable crop or product over time. Our job is to get the infrastructure right. The individual farming decisions should be left to farmers themselves.
Tony: Thanks very much.
Tony Burke speaking with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
The Ord River irrigation area, Kununurra, WA
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Tony Burke: G’day, it’s Tony. Today I’m out in Kununurra with a bloke who you know called Kevin. And today we are out at the Ord—at the Ord irrigation area. And PM maybe you could let us know just the announcements today about the Ord stage 2, the actual money and where it’s headed and what sort of vision you’ve got for (inaudible).
Kevin Rudd: Okay, thanks Tony. I’m Kevin—I’m from Queensland, but I’m in Western Australia. Actually, that’s the Northern Territory just over there. We’re up here today to talk to the premier about $195 million closing to invest with them dollar for dollar on building Ord Stage 2. Ord 1 is about 13 to 14 thousand hectares. Ord Stage 2—if we get it right—effectively doubles that. It opens up a whole new slice of farming land for Australia’s farming future, for horticulture and a range of other products as well.
So, it’s been good. We’ve been out choppering around seeing where this land goes all over the NT border—and you never know what might happen on the other side of that border in due course … but still a little way to go yet.
Tony: And one of the things that was raised at some of the briefings today was linking in to some of the Indigenous employment opportunities that could be … (inaudible)
Kevin: Up here in the Kimberley in the Kununurra area, half the population is Indigenous and the unemployment level, unfortunately, is really high. So, what we’ve got to do is to make sure that we are providing sustainable job opportunities for Indigenous Australians as well. The good thing about this—because of local Indigenous buy-in to this project—is there’s a real chance of providing sustainable farm jobs for Indigenous Australians as well. That’s got to be part of the future.
Tony: Well, one thing that I’m often asked when I’m about the Ord, is with the growth of Sandlewood – we always talk about the need for a food bowl but I often get questions thrown at me so now I’ll throw it at you…in terms of—
Kevin: Sandlewood is about that high and about that wide.
Tony: (Laughs)—but—
Kevin: There’s a Sandlewood farmer over here.
Tony: Would the government intervene and be telling farmers what they can and can’t grow?
Kevin: No, I’ve been asked that today up in the Ord and in my experience—having grown up on a farm myself—is that farmers know their land, they know what’s best done on their land, what’s going to deal, provide the best and sustainable crop or product over time. Our job is to get the infrastructure right. The individual farming decisions should be left to farmers themselves.
Tony: Thanks very much.