Grains

The PGA’s position is that there should be only one designated Representative Organisation with oversight of the GRDC, and that it should be Grain Producers Australia. While the PGA is not a member of either representative organisation, we favour GPA over Grain Growers Ltd on the basis of genuine producer representation.

The GRDC’s cash reserves are now approaching $700 million; a clear sign of sustained over-collection of levies. The PGA’s position is that this should not be resolved by increased spending, but by a review and reduction of the current levy rate. A small additional portion should be redirected from research toward Plant Health Australia.

The PGA actively encourages and supports the continued research, development, promotion and commercial release of genetically improved varieties utilising biotechnology. Access to GM technology is a matter of producer choice and competitive necessity, WA grain producers should not be denied tools available to their international competitors.

In the event of any future CBH internal restructure or proposed external takeover, the PGA’s position is that the CBH Board must submit any proposal to its membership for their proper consideration and determination. Decisions of this magnitude belong to grower-members, not to the Board alone.

The PGA favours the least-cost freight pathway for grain producers. The maintenance of essential rail and road infrastructure must be treated as a priority, not an afterthought. Decisions about freight networks should be driven by efficiency and producer outcomes, not by political convenience.

The PGA supports the development of a biofuels industry in Australia, provided there is no subsidisation or legislated mandatory use. We demand a clear strategy for a secure and guaranteed fuel supply, energy security is a non-negotiable requirement for grain production at scale.

The PGA opposes net-zero emissions targets by 2050 and opposes Australia being locked into the 2015 Paris Agreement in ways that impose unrealistic costs on agricultural producers. We also oppose any State or Federal Government using taxpayer funds to pay for carbon sequestration projects. The PGA does support the adoption of an Australian Sustainability Framework for grain production; provided it is developed with genuine industry input and does not become a vehicle for regulatory overreach.

The PGA believes biosecurity is a shared responsibility across all sectors and should be treated as a public asset; not a cost to be shifted entirely onto producers. Funding and responsibility arrangements must reflect this, with government playing an appropriate role alongside industry.

The PGA opposes the mandatory disclosure of private commercial information through compulsory grain stock reporting in Western Australia. Requiring producers to report stock holdings is an unnecessary intrusion into private business operations and sets a concerning precedent for further regulatory overreach into commercial decision-making.