The National Farmers’ Federation has welcomed commitments by Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese to improve bush communications and advance regional manufacturing if Labor was to win government.
Mr Albanese addressed a crowd of almost 500 at the NFF National Conference in Canberra today.
NFF President Fiona Simson said at this stage of the parliamentary cycle it was incredibly important to hear from the Opposition on their plan for agriculture and the bush.
“We were delighted to have Mr Albanese address the NFF’s flagship event in person,” Ms Simson said.
Earlier in the day, the NFF launched its 2022 Federal Election platform. Titled ‘Time To Thrive’, the manifesto outlines five key priorities designed to propel agriculture’s growth trajectory.
Ms Simson said both parties seeking to hold office must commit to deliverying on the Time To Thrive asks.
Among NFF’s election priorities is a call for significant investment in regional telecommunications.
“The NFF welcomed Mr Albanese’s commitment for Labor to establish a Better Connectivity for Rural and Regional Australia Plan, including for expanded mobile coverage and placed-based connectivity programs to support connectivity solutions in regional and remote Australia. These build on recent commitments to support investments to expand the NBN fixed-wireless network.
“Additional funding for the Regional Tech Hub and $30 million for on-farm connectivity are also very welcome announcements.
“We’re encouraged by the Mr Albanese’s commitment to undertake a national audit of mobile coverage to identify mobile coverage gaps and prioritise investment.
