REGIONAL AUSTRALIA—AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY

Senator Back, also on behalf of Senators Nash and McKenzie, pursuant to notice of motion not objected to as a formal motion, moved general business notice of motion no. 678—That, as 2012 is the Australian Year of the Farmer, the Senate:

 (a) recognises that the Australian agricultural industry offers excellent career opportunities, including:

  (i) approximately 100 000 jobs in the agricultural sector,

  (ii) 2.5 jobs for every agricultural graduate, and

  (iii) a diverse range of careers requiring a wide range of skill levels;

 (b) acknowledges that responding to the expanding global food task will require Australia to substantially up-skill and increase the size of its agribusiness workforce;

 (c) recognises that there are declining participation rates and graduates in the agriculture sector as tertiary agricultural science courses on offer decline, and secondary school students do not take up undergraduate courses; and

 (d) calls on the Government to:

  (i) resource the promotion of careers in agriculture through the primary and secondary school system,

  (ii) incentivise universities to offer agricultural science courses, and

  (iii) encourage industry in the development of agribusiness educational and training resource material.

Question put and passed.