Watch my question on the family farm tax

Back in December 2024, I warned the Government that its family farm tax would force everyday asset rich but cash poor farmers to sell land that had been in their families for generations.

In response, the then-Farming Minister shook his head. He went on to say that the Government was confident that the tax changes were appropriate and that smaller farms will be protected.

That confidence ran out this Christmas, over a year later, when the Government finally listened to opposition parties, farmers and the rural community and backtracked on this potentially devastating tax change.

So, on parliament’s first day in 2026, I had a simple question for the Government: why did it take them over a year to listen to farmers?