The recent announcement of a Food Security Strategy was welcomed by the group, but chair Geoff Moar said there appeared to be little understanding by the Cabinet of what was required to grow food for domestic and international consumption.
“On the one hand we have the Prime Minister highlighting the importance of food security, yet on the other it is being compromised by Water Minister Tanya Plibersek,” Mr Moar said.
“It appears these city-based politicians do not understand the link between water and food production.
“How can we have a genuine strategy that grows world’s best, clean green food in regional Australia for our city supermarkets, when at the same time we are unnecessarily removing massive quantities of water that is the essential ingredient to growing that food?”
MRSG welcomed the development of a new national food security strategy, Feeding Australia, but said it could not be achieved under the current policy settings.
Mr Moar said MRSG members had grave concerns about the ability of any government to develop an effective food security strategy when its own departments were not in synch.
“You cannot seriously have an Agriculture Minister promoting the need for more food production at the same time as your Water Minister is undermining food production,” he said.
Water Minister, Tanya Plibersek announced a decision to buy back an additional 100 gigalitres of water from the Murray Darling Basin just one week before Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the Food Security Strategy.
