The Prime Minister kicked off day two of the NFF Congress, immediately followed by the Leader of the Opposition. Was this a highlight? Well, political speeches don't excite me too much these days. (If you're interested, you can read the speeches here and here). But it was great to see the NFF could attract both Leaders to Congress, on the same day. It is a measure of the NFF's influence, as well as the importance of the sector, that delegates were able to hear directly from the two Leaders.
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard addressing NFF Congress...
...followed by Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott
The political
speeches were broken down and analysed in a session with NFF President Jock
Laurie and immediate past President David Crombie, facilitated by Kieran
Gilbert from Sky News. This was a great session; two wise heads being led
through the issues by a seasoned political journalist. It was relaxed but
offered some great insights into the political process and industry's place
within it. A highlight!
Jock Laurie and David Crombie on the big screen during their session
I missed the
Asian Century discussion, but enjoyed the Perspectives panel that had a mix of
famers and industry-types sharing their views on the issues covered at
Congress. It was interesting that the six panelists all had a positive outlook for
agriculture, which was slightly askew to some views in the audience. Next time I'd like to hear more from the naysayers, in order to fully explore some of the issues.
Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay and beef farmer Alison McIntosh on big screen duing the Perspectives panel
My final
highlight for the day was Stefan Hajkowicz from CSIRO Futures speaking on
Global Megatrends and how they will change the way we live. A tough gig to speak
at 4pm on the final day, but a compelling topic kept the room engaged. In 2009,
CSIRO started looking at social, economic and environmental patterns would
change the way we live. They've just updated the list and have identified these
6 megatrends:
More from Less - impacts of resource scarcity
Going, Going, Gone - challenges of shrinking biodiversity
Silk Highway - the rise of Asia
Forever Young - issues around the ageing population
Virtually Here - the interconnectedness provided by technology
Great expectations - the changing consumer
To me, this list
could have been solely about agriculture! It is interesting that it's a list of
trends and challenges that face the entire globe. The fact that our sector is
already on top of most of these issues (at least in awareness) gives me hope that
we will thrive.
You can download the Global Megatrends report at CSIRO Futures website.
My overall highlight? Well, that was actually catching up with so many friends, acquaintances, clients and former colleagues. In particular, chatting to WA Farmers President, Dale Park who I haven't seen since I worked at WA Farmers - 10+ years ago. We just picked up where we left off, defending WA's rights in a range of areas... (It's like I never left!)
After two days of Congress, my feet are killing me and my voice a bit scratchy from all the talking. Agriculture really is one big family and that's why I love it. Yes, we are a dysfunctional family at times, arguing and bickering amongst ourselves, but in the end we put our differences aside and find the common links to support each other.
To me the NFF Congress was about identifying those common higher-level links and opportunities that unite us all and I think it delivered in spades.
