National discussion on Australia’s farming future kicks off in WA

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Telstra will visit Perth, York and Katanning this week for a series of roundtables to kick off the national ‘Talking 2030’ dialogue announced by the Prime Minister in March.
The Western Australia meetings are the first of 14 events being held across the country, with the aim of capturing new ideas to fast-track Australia’s agricultural growth.
NFF Chief Executive Tony Mahar said talking to stakeholders to understand the key issues is a critical step in shaping a strong plan for the coming decade.
“The NFF has a target to grow farm gate output to $100 billion by 2030,” Mr Mahar said.
“Achieving that sort of growth requires innovative thinking, and a clear national roadmap.
“Talking 2030 is all about testing new ideas with the farming community, and agreeing on practical steps our industry can take over the coming decade to maximise our potential.”
Talking 2030 is the first of several initiatives planned as part of a new strategic partnership between the NFF and Telstra aimed at strengthening Australian agriculture’s leadership, technical capacity and overall prosperity.
Telstra’s Executive Director Regional Affairs, Tim O’Leary, said Telstra is proud to work with the NFF to support the development of innovative technologies that will help address some of the challenges Australian farmers face.
“We know that digital connectivity is a central part of the modern farm business and this collaboration will support the development of strong and prosperous regions, and a thriving agriculture sector,” said Mr O’Leary.
The Discussion Paper authored by KPMG and launched by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March will form the basis for the conversations at the Talking 2030 roundtables.
In addition to consolidating industry trends and analysis, the Talking 2030 Discussion Paper poses several questions on key themes for feedback and debate, including:
‘Can Australian agriculture go carbon neutral by 2050?’
‘What if every major food region had its own international air freight hub?’
‘Can we gain preferential access to the top 5 Asian markets by 2025?’
‘Can we connect every farm to the Internet of Things by 2030?’
Feedback on these and other ideas will help shape the industry’s 2030 Roadmap, which the NFF will release later this year.
Interviews with NFF CEO Tony Mahar and roundtable attendees are available in Perth, York and Katanning on request.
Farmers interested in attending roundtables in other states are encouraged to register their interest at talking2030.com/roadshow.