BACKING OUR FARMERS POLICY
Australian Farmer Suicide Rates
In Australia, research indicates that one farmer dies by suicide approximately every ten days, with suicide rates among farmers being up to 94% higher than the general population. Between 2009 and 2018, there were 370 reported farmer suicides, primarily driven by financial pressures, environmental disasters, and social isolation.
Frequency: Approximately one farmer takes their own life every 10 days.
Rate: Farmer suicide rates are 59% to 94% higher than in the non-farming.
Demographics: High-risk groups include middle-aged males, particularly those separated from spouses.
Key Drivers: Long work hours, drought, flood, fire, mounting debt, and reduced access to mental health services.
Method: Easy access to firearms is a noted factor in the high suicide rates in regional areas.
Impact: A 2023 survey found that 30% of farmers surveyed had attempted self-harm or suicide.
Key Policy Points
- All Framers to be Tax Exempt including,
- Corporate Tax
- Personal Income tax
- Payroll Tax
- Land Tax
- Capital Gains Tax
- Inheritance Tax
- Death Duties
- Charging GST
- Entitled to claim 100% ITC on all purchases
- Guaranteed Product Purchase Amount and Price
- 100% Rebate on fuel excise duty
- The right to deny entry and expel anyone from their land
- The right to permit the use of their land for recreational and sporting activities to the public
Farming Policy
All Farmers and primary producers will be declared tax exempt and not be liable to pay any corporate tax, personal income tax or land tax. This includes all employees of the farmers.
All Farmers and primary Producers will be GST exempt, thus not requiring them to charge GST on their sales. They will also be able to claim 100% ITC on all purchases.
All Farmers and primary Producers will have access to the State Farmers Bank for interest free loans and no fee accounts. All loans will be ultra flexible, so, if a bad year occurs and crops fail, the loan can be placed on hold until the next harvest.
All Farmers will not have to put up their farm or home as collateral when seeking a loan.
Farmers will have set minimum tariffs on all produce. They will only be able to sell to supermarkets at a minimum of production cost price plus 10 percent. This means that the farmer will get at least what it costs them to produce food, plus a 10% mark up. This will stop supermarkets from screwing over farmers. It will also ensure that the farmers at least break even.
Food price sale contracts will now be set in favour of the farmer, instead of the supermarket chains. When an order is placed with the farmer at an agreed price, which cannot be any lower than the minimum tariff, the supermarket will be legally bound to honour that contract and pay for the produce, irrespective if they subsequently cancel it. This will stop supermarkets from placing an order at 5.00pm and then cancelling it at 9.00am the following morning, after the farmer has picked his crop. If the supermarket refuses to take the order, then the farmer, having been paid by the supermarket, will then have the option to on sell the harvest to another wholesaler for an additional price of their choosing. This will stamp out farmer abuse as Supermarkets will be forced to pay the farmer for their produce.
To assist farmers at harvest time, anyone wishing to work for the farmer picking crops will be paid tax free, even if they have full time employment.
It will be illegal to waste food. All so-called non-sexy crops, that fail the fussy supermarket test, will be shipped to canning factories, at the agreed price, to be processed, canned and sold via shopping outlets and for international export or foreign aid purposes. There will be no dumping of food or creation of surplus food mountains.
Land regeneration is very important for Australia. Farmers that have degraded land will be prioritised for regeneration under our works programme initiative.
Water is vital for all farmers, so until such time that we fix the water management of Australia, it is imperative that farmers have access to as much water as they need, to irrigate their farms and look after their livestock. The water supply issue should not be a concern for the farmers as they have enough problems of their own to deal with. Our water supply issues are a concern for the government and it is for the government to fix them. It is a priority for desalination plants to be set up around Australia, with a network of pipes delivering water to the farming community. Refer Infrastructure & Building policy.
Victorian State Taxes to Abolish for Farmers
| TAX | ACTION | EFFECTIVE DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Land Tax | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Vacant Residential Land Tax Vacant 5 Years | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Land Transfer Stamp Duty - Non-principle place of residence | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Land Transfer Stamp Duty - Principle place of Residence | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Foreign Purchaser Additional Duty | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Commercial and Industrial Property Tax | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Fire Service Property Levy | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Metropolitan Planning Levy | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC) | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Windfall Gains Tax | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Absentee Owner Surcharge (Part of Land Tax) | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Landholder Duty | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Leases, Grants and Transfer Duty | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Motor Vehicle Duty | Rebate | 1 January 2027 |
| Motor Vehicle Registration Fees | Rebate | 1 January 2027 |
| Commercial Passenger Vehicle Service Levy | Rebate | 1 January 2027 |
| Congestion Levy (For Car Parks) | Rebate | 1 January 2027 |
| Payroll Tax | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Covid Debt Levy - Payroll ($10m+) For Ten Years | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |
| Covid Debt Levy - Landholdings | Abolish | 1 January 2027 |