SOILS ADVOCATE AXING DISAPPOINTING
Member for Riverina and Parliamentary Friends of Soil co-chair Michael McCormack has expressed his surprise and disappointment at Labor’s decision to axe the National Soils Advocate.
Federal Agriculture Minister, Senator Murray Watt, has terminated the role, which has been ably held by former Queensland Governor Penny Wensley AC since 28 August 2020.
“There is simply no justification for this short-sighted announcement,” Mr McCormack said.
“Soils should hold the key to taking action on the climate yet Labor has rebuffed this.”
Ms Wensley succeeded Australia’s first National Soils Advocate, the late Major General Michael Jeffery AC AO (Mil) CVO MC (Ret’d).
Major General Jeffery was announced National Advocate for Soil Health on 23 October 2012 by then Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
On 18 July 2019, Major General Jeffery was reappointed to the position of National Soils Advocate by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who stressed at the time the role was intended to be permanent.
“Ms Wensley has done an outstanding job to drive awareness and action on Australia taking better care of its soils,” Mr McCormack said.
“I delivered a letter to the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, on World Soil Day, 5 December 2019, to request the formation of the Parliamentary Friends of Soil to ensure the continuation of maintaining and improving our soils and to acknowledge the importance of the National Soils Advocate.
“Labor’s decision to terminate the position is baffling.”
Minister Watt told Mr McCormack he intended to instead work with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen to develop a sector-wide plan looking at sustainability.
“Why change something that was working well and making a real difference?” Mr McCormack said.
“I appreciate Minister Watt contacting me to inform me of the decision – but it is the wrong one.”
Mr McCormack expressed his disappointment to Parliamentary Friends of Soil co-chair Meryl Swanson, the Member for Paterson.
“Ms Swanson and I will continue to do what we can with the Parliamentary Friends group,” Mr McCormack said.
“We’ve held a number of good seminars and sessions with interested parties.”
Mr McCormack previously co-chaired the soils group with Member for Barton and now Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney.
“Soil is vital to life on this planet,” Mr McCormack said. “It is home to more than 25 per cent of Earth’s biodiversity and 95 per cent of the world’s food comes from soil and soil organisms.”
The National Soil Strategy, released in May 2021, outlines how Australia will manage and improve its soil over the next decades – it is the first national policy on soil. It was developed collaboratively by the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments and the National Soils Advocate in consultation with industry, researchers, farmers and the wider soil community.
“The issue of soil health is of national significance and I call on the Minister to reverse this decision and allow the great work done by the National Soils Advocate over the past decade to continue to ensure this important asset is conserved and improved into the future,” Mr McCormack said.