Marshall appointed Minister for Agriculture

April 9, 2019

Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, is the NSW Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales in the new Berejiklian- Barilaro Cabinet.

Agriculture Minister and Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall with Gwydir Mayor, John Coulton.

Agriculture Minister and Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall with Gwydir Mayor, John Coulton.

“The primary industries sector in NSW is incredibly rich and diverse, contributing around $3.42 billion a year, employing more than 63,000 people directly across 46,000 farming businesses,” Mr. Marshall said. “There are some obvious challenges confronting the sector right now, chief among them one of the worst droughts in living memory. This will be one of my first and key focus areas, along with addressing the issues of illegal trespass, invasion of privacy and protecting our farmers’ interests in planning processes.

“Given the continued poor seasonal outlook across the State, I will be looking quickly at the suite of assistance programs for our farmers and farming communities. These need to respond to on farm and post farm gate help for our country communities.

“As someone who has lived and worked their entire life in western NSW, I’m looking forward putting our unique set of issues front and centre around the cabinet table. “It would not be possible for me to be given this opportunity without the support of the people of the Northern Tablelands, as their representative in the State Parliament, and I want to reiterate my commitment to serving them and advocating for their needs first and foremost.”

Mr. Marshall’s appointment has been welcomed by Gwydir Shire Mayor, John Coulton. “I am very pleased to have our local Member as Agriculture Minister,” Cr. Coulton said. His input will be invaluable with the Shire’s Greenhouse Project going forward. “I’m looking forward to our first meeting with Adam in that capacity.”

NSW Farmers’ President, James Jackson, said Mr. Marshall’s appointment came at a critical time for the agricultural industry and he looked forward to working closely with him and the Government in tackling important issues such as the drought. “I congratulate Adam Marshall on his appointment as Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales in the Berejiklian Government. As a representative of a regional community with a significant agricultural footprint, we hope that Adam can utilise his local knowledge to continue strengthening the agricultural sector in New South Wales”, Mr Jackson said.