people.

“By cutting apprenticeship incentives on top of the recent decision to axe FarmBis, the government is taking away opportunities for people to gain

education and revitalise the industry – despite the Federal Government’s so-called ‘Education Revolution’,” Mr Brown said.

The association and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) successfully lobbied the former Government for incentives for agriculture and horticulture in having the ‘Tools of the Trade’ toolkit and course fee assistance applied for agriculture and horticulture.

“These incentives were less than half of the incentives available to other industries.

“When we move beyond the drought it is estimated that Australia will require a further 50,000 to 70,000 workers to meet farm capacity. Australian farms underpin 12 per cent of GDP and our productivity growth has outstripped that of nearly every industry over the last 20 years, yet our apprentices and trainees are no longer going to be given the support provided to those in other industry sectors,” Mr Brown said.

“In light of the skilled labour shortages facing the rural sector, combined with rapidly diminishing university enrolments in agriculture and related courses, agriculture and horticulture should be included in National Skills Needs List, enabling the industry to access the incentives available to other industries facing labour shortages.

“We would ask the Federal Government to seriously reconsider these cuts. Our future capacity to generate economic wealth is in serious jeopardy should farming be excluded from attracting apprentices and developing the skills, education and training of our future workforce,” Mr Brown concluded.