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| Western Australian Farmers Federation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Western Australian Farmers Federation |
| Abbreviation | WA Farmers |
| Formation | 1930s |
| Type | Industry association |
| Headquarters | Perth, Western Australia |
| Region served | Western Australia |
| Membership | Farmers, graziers, agribusinesses |
| Leader title | President |
Western Australian Farmers Federation The Western Australian Farmers Federation is a peak industry association representing primary producers across Western Australia, advocating on agricultural policy, trade, water, and land use issues. The federation engages with state and federal institutions, regional councils, commodity groups, and international trade partners to influence legislation and support rural communities. It operates through branches, commodity councils, and specialist committees to provide services, advocacy, and research for farmers, graziers, and agribusiness stakeholders.
The federation traces roots to early 20th-century rural associations such as the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia, the Western Australian Farmers movements, and interwar cooperatives influenced by national groups like the National Farmers' Federation and the Australian Country Party. During periods marked by the Great Depression and the post-World War II agricultural expansion, the federation coordinated responses with bodies including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the Australian Wheat Board, and state departments in Perth and Albany. Throughout the late 20th century it engaged with economic reforms tied to the Hawke–Keating governments and trade negotiations associated with the Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization.
The federation is organized into regional branches reflecting landscapes like the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), the Great Southern (Western Australia), and the Kimberley (Western Australia), with governance overseen by an elected executive drawn from branch representatives, commodity council chairs, and policy committees. Its secretariat liaises with agencies such as the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Western Australia), research bodies such as Curtin University and the University of Western Australia, and industry regulators including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on matters affecting trade, biosecurity, and market access. Annual general meetings, conventions, and farm forums mirror formats used by groups like the National Party of Australia (WA) and state agricultural shows such as the Perth Royal Show.
Members include broadacre cereal growers, livestock producers, horticulturalists, viticulturists, and diversified agribusinesses from districts exemplified by Merredin, Esperance, Broome, and Geraldton. Membership categories align with commodity councils for wheat, wool, sheep, beef, dairy, horticulture, and viticulture, similar to structures in the Grain Producers Australia and the WoolProducers Australia networks. Representation extends to Indigenous rangeland managers collaborating with organizations like the Aboriginal Land Council of Western Australia and regional development bodies such as the Shire of Broome and the Pilbara Development Commission.
The federation advocates on trade policy, farmgate pricing, water allocation, land tenure, and biosecurity, engaging in debates alongside stakeholders such as the Australian Dairy Farmers, the Meat & Livestock Australia consortium, and the Grain Growers Limited. It has taken positions on water resource management involving the Murray–Darling Basin Plan discourse, on carbon and emissions frameworks intersecting with the Carbon Farming Initiative, and on labor policy engaging with the Department of Home Affairs and migrant worker programs. The federation participates in consultations on pesticide regulation tied to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and in biosecurity responses coordinated with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Services include legal advice, market intelligence, risk management workshops, and training programs delivered in partnership with institutions such as TAFE Western Australia, the Rural Skills WA network, and agricultural research hubs like the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association. It convenes field days, extension services, and demonstration trials in collaboration with the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Cooperative Research Centres to support adoption of practices in soil health, dryland farming, irrigation efficiency, and livestock husbandry. The federation administers grants, insurance schemes, and emergency response coordination in drought and flood events via liaison with the WA State Emergency Service and the Australian Red Cross.
The federation maintains formal and informal links with national bodies including the National Farmers' Federation, commodity organizations like GrainGrowers and Cotton Australia, political parties such as the National Party of Australia, and research institutions like the CSIRO. It partners with export and trade agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Austrade, and with environmental NGOs including the Australian Conservation Foundation on landscape-scale programs. Regional alliances extend to shires, chambers of commerce such as the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia where mineral–agriculture interactions arise, and international delegations to markets in China and Japan.
The federation has faced criticism over policy stances on land clearing and native vegetation linked to proponents and opponents including the Environmental Defender's Office and state conservation groups. Debates have arisen over representation balance between large-scale corporate agribusinesses and smallholder farmers, drawing commentary from rural advocacy groups and opposition figures in the Parliament of Western Australia. Contention has also appeared regarding positions on export regulation and market access during disputes involving trading partners such as China and in national debates involving the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Productivity Commission.
Category:Organisations based in Western Australia Category:Agricultural organisations in Australia