THERE was a positive attitude filling the 26 hectare AgQuip site on Tuesday, but the NSW Greens say more needs to be done to address climate change and its impact on agriculture.
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And Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham says it’s a matter of urgency to find ways for agriculture to grow while climate change looms.
The Greens used day one of AgQuip to launch their "climate not coal" campaign, on the back of their ongoing "farms not coal" initiative of recent years.
"We need to have a conversation with the agriculture sector about climate change," Mr Buckingham said.
"That's why we are launching this initiative, which is putting $50 million into a centre for excellence for research and development to deal with impacts of climate on agriculture."
Gunnedah has been a National Party stronghold at state and federal levels for some years now, but Mr Buckingham said taking the campaign to the bush wasn't about winning votes.
"The conversations that we have in Gunnedah, the farming community, we then take back to policy that builds our credibility in the cities," he said.
"We can go back say we have talked to farmers, our policies are based on an approach that is recognising their needs, the realities of modern agriculture.
"It's not about winning votes here, it's about building a conversation."
We come out to talk about these things not because they're going to win us votes, it's because it's important to do so
- Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham
Despite a tough federal election campaign for the Greens in New England, Mr Buckingham said regional NSW was proving to be a booming area for the party.
"We had a tough election in this electorate because we had a very popular independent running and when that happens The Greens don't do so well," he said.
"Outside of Melbourne, regional NSW is a boom zone for the Greens.”
And he wasn’t the only politician who took to AgQuip for day one, with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson also unveiling a chilling rail safety awareness display to the crowds.
Also on the ground in the action were fellow state and federal Nationals MPs, John “Wacka” Williams and Sarah Mitchell.