GPA 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION PRIORITIES – PLANTING THE SEEDS OF FUTURE SUCCESS
- colinbettles3
- Apr 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 5
Grain Producers Australia is calling for strong policy backing, investments and initiatives that can continue growing the industry’s future economic contributions and the shared benefits delivered for the nation.
GPA’s 2025 Federal Election Policy Priorities – released today – provides a roadmap of opportunities, to further solidify and boost the $32 billion industry’s economic performance and shared contributions.
More details: HERE
GPA’s 2025 election priorities underscore the major policy concerns, strongly advocated for by GPA.
escalating farm input costs and uncertainty over reliability and security of supply;
national grains supply chain inefficiencies and rising freight/transport costs;
improved grain market access and market competition and transparency;
increasing regulatory compliance and costs of government red and green tape;
maintaining access to agricultural pesticides and need for APVMA reforms and;
optimising value to growers and shared benefits from grain producer levies; including RD&E, grain product integrity/market access, stronger biosecurity protections and capacity, etc.
Other priorities for growers include; farm labour supply; farmer mental health and wellbeing; feedstocks to produce biofuels and sustainable aviation fuels; food security; and better digital connectivity/reliability, for rural communities. The 2025 priorities have been reviewed and endorsed by GPA Policy Council.
GPA Chair and WA grain producer, Barry Large, said backing the sustained productivity growth of Australian grain producers provides a strong foundational policy platform to continue strengthening the shared benefits delivered, for the national economy and rural communities.
“People are at the centre of everything we do in the Australian grains industry,” he said.
“That’s why it’s a smart investment and political no brainer to back our industry; starting where the grain is actually produced. Backing our farmers provides grass roots strength to continuing growing the shared benefits and prosperity delivered for our industry, the economy, environment, and rural communities.”
Mr Large said this year’s election campaign also coincided with the start of the 2025-26 seeding program, for Australian grain producers; traditionally guided by ANZAC Day, depending on seasonal rainfall.
He said backing Australian grain producers, by supporting GPA’s 2025 election policy priorities, also gave federal representatives, of all persuasions, an opportunity to plant the seeds of future success.
“Strong grain farmers are the primary catalyst for a strong and vitally important rural industry that’s at the forefront of contributing to our social and economic prosperity,” he said.
“GPA’s election platform provides clear direction on policy priorities, recognising the fundamental driver of this shared success starts with the productivity and performance of all Australian grain producers.
“In world of increasingly volatile global trade uncertainty, with Trump’s Tariff Tantrums knowing virtually no limits, we also need our political leaders to understand the economic impacts this causes our industry, and why we need to be more proactive with strong policy protections and investment opportunities.”
GPA Deputy Chair and Northern Grower Director, Matthew Madden, said GPA’s 2025 policy roadmap continued building on the 12 priority themes advocated for at the last election, and during this recent term of government, focused on boosting on-farm productivity growth and protections.
He said the policy document provided performance data that clearly demonstrated the shared benefits and economic returns derived from backing the growth and sustainability, of Australian grain producers.
“These numbers provide compelling proof the Australian grains industry – led by the increased yield capacity, production efficiency gains and technology adoption of grain producers – is at the forefront of the Australian farm sector’s aspirational target of becoming at $100 billion industry, by 2030”, he said.
“Australian grain producers are acting as the primary catalyst for driving this increased value, and the substantial shared benefits this growth generates for industry stakeholders and many others.
“As it was in 2022, this is a cost-of-living election, first and foremost. That’s why backing Australian grain farmers, and talking critical areas such as escalating farm input costs, and maintaining access to the tools we need, to continue producing some of the most sustainable grains in the world, is vitally important to maintaining and sustaining our industry’s economic contribution and shared benefits for the nation.”
GPA Southern Grower Director, and RD&E Spokesperson, Andrew Weidmann AM, said grain was a low-value commodity which had an economic multiplier effect creating wealth-generation across industry and the national economy; including exporting and manufacturing of good.
“Backing Australian grain producers, to continue doing what we do best on a global scale, provides an excellent opportunity for governments to invest in the nation’s prosperity,” he said.
“We urge all current and future members of parliament to take time out, to sit down and engage with GPA and discuss these policy priorities, and how they can commit to this plan and future shared success, by supporting our farmers, rural communities and the nation, where it matters most.”
GPA’s policy document shows the Australian grains industry has grown significantly, contributing $81.15 billion in total gross value, over the past three years (2022-24), at an annual average of about $27 billion.
This $27 billion represents almost double the industry’s value, prior to the last federal election ($13.8 billion in 2020-21). And this $81.15 billion is more than 30pc of the annual average, for Total Value of Farm Production, that’s been achieved in this same time frame ($261 billion).
In March 2025, ABARES released its 2024-25 winter crop forecasts, estimating total production at 59.8 million tonnes – the third largest on record. Overall, this 59.8m/t grain crop represented a 26pc year-on-year increase from 47.5m/t produced the year before, at 27pc above the 10-year average of 47.1m/t.
‘Numbers provided by AEGIC show the Australian grains industry has increased in value from $4 billion in 1990, when the levy-system was first introduced, to now being valued at more than $32 billion in recent record-breaking seasons. This significant on-farm and industry growth increases government’s capacity to re-direct tax-payer funding into the delivery of fundamental public good benefits, and added investments into key national policy priorities, including; health, education, transport and infrastructure, and community safety.’
National Grains Production/Output | TOTALS (2022-24) | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
Gross Value of Grain Production | $81.15b | $21.67b | $31.1b | $28.38b | $13.8b |
Total Grain Production (million tonne) | 188.3m/t (ave 62m/t) | 51 m/t | 70.8 m/t | 66.5m/t | 55.8 m/t |
Total Value Grain Exported | $75b | $21.8b | $29.7b | $23.5b | $12.4b |
Total Volume Grain Exported (million tonne) | 140.1 m/t (46m/t ave.) | 43.7 m/t | 51.7 m/t | 44.7 m/t | 36.5 m/t |
Total Value of Farm Production (TVFP) | $261.2b | $81.8b | $91.5b | $87.9b | $68.3b |
Grains Industry’s Share of TVFP | 31pc | 26.5pc | 34pc | 32pc | 20pc |
Figures from GRDC Annual Reports/ABARES (as per page (10-11)