NFF congratulates outgoing Ministers

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has congratulated Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, on their significant contributions to Australian agriculture following the announcement of their upcoming retirements.
Mr Truss will conclude his political career after more than 25 years as Member for Wide Bay in Queensland, a key agricultural area, and having served as Minister in portfolios critical to the rural sector including Agriculture, Trade and, more recently, Infrastructure and Regional Development.
Mr Robb, who entered Parliament in 2004, has served as Minister for Trade and Investment since 2013 and is a former Chief Executive of the NFF. Within this time he has lead the signing of key trade agreements including the China-Australian Free Trade Agreement, the Japan-Australian Economic Partnership, the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Trans Pacific Partnership, formally signed earlier this month.
NFF President, Brent Finlay, said each of the parliamentary veterans had delivered valuable and long-lasting results to the agriculture industry and to regional Australia.
“As Member for Wide Bay and throughout his various Ministerial roles, Mr Truss has been a mainstay of advocacy for regional Australia and we congratulate him on more than quarter of a century of service,” Mr Finlay said.
“The NFF has also enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Mr Robb, which began when he served as our CEO in the 1980s.
“Most recently we have worked closely with Mr Robb on game-changing Free Trade Agreements which are critical to the growth of the Australian agriculture industry and believe his deep-rooted understanding of the sector has been fundamental to achieving these results.”
However, Mr Finlay said there was further work to be done in removing unnecessary barriers to trade and capitalising upon the vast opportunities within Australian agriculture’s reach.
“This is an extremely exciting time in the agriculture industry and it is, therefore, crucial any incoming ministers have a thorough understanding of the sector and a vision for how we capture the value of the burgeoning opportunities ahead,” he said.
“We thank Mr Truss and Mr Robb for their many years’ service and look forward to working with future ministers who share their commitment to the industry and have a clear path for the growth of agriculture for the benefit of not just regional Australia but the entire economy.”