Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Mildura -Swan Hill and Wimmera - Breakfast with Grace Marshall - 25 March 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

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FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS:  Australia-European Union Trade Agreement, agriculture sector reactions, protecting prime agricultural land, The Nationals' SA election outcome, One Nation

Marshall  

As you’ve seen in the news yesterday, a trade deal signed with the European Union or the EU ... It's been welcomed by some industry groups, which said it would provide a boost as global trade remains under pressure. Others, however, say it's a terrible deal for agriculture. The red meat and dairy sectors aren't happy, but the wine industry is popping corks. Your thoughts? 0467842722, Member for the Mallee. Dr, Anne Webster has said, Labor yet again has put political targets ahead of Australian farmers and national productivity. She joins me now, good morning, Dr Webster,

Webster  

Good morning. Grace.  

Marshall  

What's your overall reaction to the Australian EU free trade agreement that was announced yesterday?

Webster  

Well, I've been listening very carefully and reading the various views of our sectors, our agricultural sectors, and I've got to say - Grape and Wine I will get to in a moment, but the farmers across Mallee that I have spoken to, along with Cattle Australia, Sheep Producers, the meat industry, National Farmers Federation, VFF, have all come out with incredibly strong words, and I'll take Andrew Weidemann, who is well known in our area, he says exactly what I thought might happen. “It's trading away our right farm, and we as grain growers, livestock producers, will just be taxed more to meet the green economy.” And what he's referring to there is the tie up that Labor have done with the EU for the Paris Agreement. And you know, it will mean, in the long term that farmers will have to tick more boxes and obey more rules and potentially be sanctioned because of the Paris Aareement. That is not a good deal. VFF President, also a Mallee farmer, Brett Hosking, has said, “at a time when farmers are getting smashed by devastating water buybacks and skyrocketing fuel and fertiliser costs, we've been hung out to dry for the sake of getting the deal done.” Cattle Australia chair Gary Edwards, he says the deal that has been struck is “simply appalling for agriculture and regional Australia, and delivers nothing to address the trade imbalance. To the EU.” Then you've got sheep producers who have who have said. - Bonnie Skinner says - that we have been sold out. The trade deal’s red meat Task Force chair Andrew McDonald said “Australia wanted 67,000 tonnes of sheep meat for Europe, they got 25,000 tonnes after seven years.” - It's always in the fine print, Grace - “And yet, New Zealand is sending 167,000 of tonnes annually.” The Australian Meat Industry Council, CEO Tim Ryan said the deal is a massive ‘missed opportunity’ and a ‘kick in the guts’. National Farmers Federation’s Hamish McIntyre: “farmers will now pay the price for this sub-par EU deal for decades to come.” They don't sound positive comments to me, Grace.

Marshall  

No they don't. And this might be something that some of our listeners over in the Wimmera do agree with that are listening today, but if we're ... you're talking about the Mallee Dr Webster, some of our listeners would be quite happy with this deal. Don't you agree?

Webster  

We have wine growers, sorry, wine makers, I should say grape growers. Wine makers, who will be ... who are actually ... the jury is out. I'm about to speak to, after this call with you, I'm about to speak with Grape and Wine and find out what their views are. If you read between the lines, they say it's ‘commercially meaningful’, but you know, we'll see what actually it means. Yeah, you can keep using ‘Prosecco’, but I can tell you, in seven years, you won't be able to use ‘grappa’ or ‘ouzo’ in Australia. So there are ... you've got to get into the fine print to see just how more, how much more difficult this is. Almond growers, I've spoken with some, and they're very concerned about what is called the MRL, the Maximum Residue Level. So, when they use glyphosate here in Australia, which we do – no-till farming, - it uses glyphosate. That's why we don't have so many dust storms from our dry land cropping farmers now, because they can use glyphosate and it is much better for production. It increases productivity, something that Australia absolutely needs to do more of. But EU are very precious about what residue levels are left on, whether it's grains, whether it's almonds, whether it's grapes, they will be checking all of that, and then they have told me that non-tariff barriers will be a super problem. So EU goes through with fine tooth comb. If they don't want to continue importing a product, then this is where they stop it, with non-tariff barriers. And I've got to say, almonds, almond growers are concerned about that, and their view is really what you need to talk about when you're talking about the EU trade agreement is: seller beware. Then that's not that positive to me. So yes, some will be thinking, yeah, we've got some exports. But I tell you what, there are others who tell me that the China deal, that the Coalition actually implemented, that free trade agreement with China, is a much better deal for Australian farmers. So,  free trade agreements are great if they're free trade agreements and they work equally. But the EU have proposed, and now the Albanese government has signed off on this particular EU trade agreement, which was pretty well the same one that was presented to the Australian Government in 2023 and the Albanese government rejected and now, here we are. They've signed it to get the deal done so they can say, well, you know what we got the EU trade deal. But I'm not reading or, talking to many people in the ag sector whom this impacts who think, this is great.  

Marshall  

Have you talked to anyone that does think it's great? Anyone in your electorate come forward in the last 24 hours that you've spoken to that is happy?  

Webster

No, not one. Not one.  

Marshall

And do you know how many people you've spoken to?

Webster  

Well, it's a matter .. we got it yesterday afternoon, of course, and I was in the - literally in the House, giving speeches at half past seven last night. So I'm still in the process of going through ... but you know, these are peak bodies who speak for their sector, and they know what their sector goes through and the pressure that this puts on them, and whether this is a deal or not, our time will tell. Certainly, we're always interested in free trade deals, but it's got to be about Australia benefiting, not just the EU.

Marshall  

You're hearing this morning from federal member for the Mallee, Dr Anne Webster, talking about the EU and Australia trade deal that came through in the news yesterday. You finished off the press release. Dr Webster, saying the big winners under this deal are critical mineral sector who are right now carving up the Mallee for mineral sands projects, many with no social licence. But aren't the Nationals pro-mining?

Webster  

Yes, we are absolutely, but we are also very much into agriculture. How do you marry that? Well, you know what? You mine where there is not prime agricultural land. For your listeners who may not be aware, I tabled ... I didn't actually, because I was back in ministry again, I gave it to one of my colleagues to table ... my bill protecting prime ag land, 2026, and Matt Canavan, the new leader of The Nationals, he tabled it in the Senate. That is legislation that deals, first and foremost, with protecting prime agricultural land, and I can absolutely go into the detail if you would like to know about it. Otherwise, people, I'm very happy to send people information on that prime ag land bill, but it deals with social licence for secondary land. It does not permit renewable or transmission lines or mining on prime agricultural land. Basically the way it works is for that the federal government will not fund subsidies or through any grant process that we currently have in process, in use now, the government is using it in order to subsidise renewable energy, transmission, mining, all of those things are subsidised by the federal government. What this bill says is we will not fund any project that wants to go on to prime agricultural land, which is actually objectively tiered and structured about what is prime ag land, what's secondary ag land, and what is marginal land? You want to do those things you can go to heart's content on marginal land. And yep, we'll help subsidise those if necessary, but we would not be doing that on Prime ag land. And that is where the Labor government has failed, both at a Victorian level and the federal level, they have been subsidising often foreign owned entities to build the structures on Prime ag land and to do mining in prime ag land, and it is to the detriment of the farming community, and there is no social licence. So, if it was secondary agricultural land, and they had social licence from the community and proper remuneration and proper rehabilitation bonds in place, then that may work, but our first and foremost objective in that bill is to protect prime ag land.

Marshall  

Yes. We've had a message in, it's not around this EU trade deal, but Anne has messaged in saying, can you ask Dr Webster about the poor showing by the Nationals in the SA election? Do you have any comments on that?

Webster  

Look the National Party has - Yeah, it's a good question - I would love to see more Nationals out in the SA election, and in fact, my chief of staff ran for the upper house for The Nationals in the SA election last weekend. So, I'm very aware The Nationals have not had much of a standing in South Australia for a long time, and the Liberals and the Nationals are split over there. They are not a coalition. I think that that is part of it. You know, we face these ongoing challenges. Any kind of coalition, you can think of it as a marriage, if you like, means that there has to be give and take, and in South Australia, that has not worked. So, you know, we'll see what happens over time. I think we are in certainly shifting sands right now with One Nation's uptake. I'm always amused when I read a One Nation policy headline that, you know, we have those same headlines, we have those same policies actually written, and know how we would deliver them, because we are a party of government. And I think one of the things that we need to do, whether it's South Australia, Victoria all over Australia, is we need to be selling our message. Australia's sovereign capacity and capability and independence is at risk under the current governments, and we have got to stand our ground and bring back manufacturing, bring back resource use in Australia, and let's see Australia thrive again.  

Marshall  

We'll have to leave it there. Dr Webster, but thank you so much for your time this morning.

Webster  

Very welcome. Thanks Grace.

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