Creating Whose Future: Sustainable Agricultural Policy for Australia?

Abstract

This paper reviews the Australian Government agriculture and food policy document Creating our future: agriculture and food policy for the next generation (2006). The paper considers how concepts of sustainability are utilised in this policy document and argues that these concepts are informed by an overtly neo-liberal agenda. The neo-liberal framework informing this Report places a high value on free markets, competitiveness and the sustainable use of natural resources as the best methods for securing a 'sustainable' future for Australian agriculture. The Australian approach is compared to the European multifunctional frameworks for sustainable agriculture. The conclusion reached is that the Australian policy agenda is highly restricted and supports sustainable agricultural practices only to a very limited degree by focusing on economic sustainability and natural resource management.