Roger Cook’s top 10 priorities for Anthony Albanese fail to mention agriculture, sheep, grain on rail

Premier Roger Cook has failed to ask Anthony Albanese for more funding for sheep farmers or new cash to upgrade the grain freight network in a letter highlighting his top 10 priorities for WA.

But the Premier has left the door open for his respective Cabinet Ministers — which includes WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis — to engage with the Commonwealth on other priorities.

Just a week after Mr Albanese’s stunning election victory, Mr Cook penned a letter to the second-term Prime Minister to outline his top 10 key priorities for WA.

The list was broken down into 10 subheadings — GST, health, housing, environmental approvals and legislative reform, a strong and diversified economy, skills and jobs, funding for remote communities, early childhood education and care, infrastructure, sport and recreation, and delivering election commitments.

The letter did not mention agriculture at all, despite it being WA’s second major export industry with exports worth more than $15 billion each year.

Among the list was a “prompt” decision on the North West Shelf, as well as a call for consultation with WA over any future environmental reforms, and support to orchestrate the “next step” of key infrastructure projects including Westport and local road upgrades.

While the letter did highlight the importance of Mr Albanese’s $2.5m commitment to explore returning the WA Freight Rail network to government hands, there was no mention of requesting additional funding to upgrade the State’s regional rail network.

Farmers had hoped more money would be set aside through the Agricultural Supply Chain Initiative in the recent Federal Budget — after $160m was committed in the 2021 Budget — but there was none announced nor promised during the election.

WA’s grain crop pumps between $6b and $11b into the State economy each year, but the ageing grain-on-rail network has been struggling to cope as the crop size continues to grow.

WA sheep farmers bracing for Mr Albanese’s plan to phase out the live sheep trade by May 1, 2028, have also called for additional funding to bolster a $139m package to help them transition away from the trade.

Mr Albanese promised during the election he would start from scratch with an overhaul of environmental laws and the role of an independent Federal watchdog after declaring the Nature Positive legislation was off the table.

Mr Cook’s letter made it clear to Mr Albanese that WA expected to be consulted on any national environmental reforms.

“I welcome your commitment during the campaign to go back to the drawing board on environmental reforms, ensuring there is extensive consultation with the WA Government and industry stakeholders on any new model for environmental law reform,” Mr Cook wrote.

The Premier plans to take a delegation of senior ministers — including Treasurer Rita Saffioti and Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson — to Canberra to meet with the Prime Minister and his ministers about WA’s needs.