Gina Rinehart has issued a grim warning that Aussies face huge price hikes and fresh food shortages unless the burden of climate change policies are lifted from farmers.
During an address in Bali on Tuesday, the mining magnate made the ominous forecast to mark National Agriculture & Related Industries Day, which Ms Rinehart is the founding patron of.
Australia's richest person, who owns 9.2 million ha of farmland, said governments need to cap what agriculturalists spend on achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions to $200,000 or face dire consequences.
'Otherwise, farmers will have to leave agriculture, and as a consequence, Aussies will see huge food price increases and fresh food shortages,' Ms Rinehart said.
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has warned of huge grocery price hikes and even fresh food shortages as a result of climate change policies
Ms Rinehart, who is the executive chairman iron ore exporting giant Hancock Prospecting, said Australia's agriculture is the 'envy of much of the world' but is 'haunted' by the cost of climate change policies.
'Don’t blame the farmer for needing to try to pass on to Australian householders the multi-millions of costs they’ll each face, for installing solar power, batteries and multi millions for electric vehicles, and fines,' she said.
The billionaire mining heiress claimed the burden government over-reach and interference fell most heavily on the 'essential' primary industries of agriculture and mining.
She also expressed fury at not being able to clear land, normally for environmental reasons, in a way that might curb bushfires, due to government red tape.
'Government tape drowns us, won’t even let us keep our families, staff, pets, homes and investment safe through adequate fire breaks, my blood boils over on this one,' she said.
Ms Rinehart said if the costs of trying to get to net zero emissions were not capped many farmers would give up agriculture
'Fines and even gaol if we try the bureaucracy blocks us or hinders us at every opportunity. Projects succeed not because of government but in spite of it.'
Ms Rinehart said governments focusing on the wrong things hurts Australia.
'Pandering to minority group activism, the left and the Greens abetted by virtue signalling effects political decisions and policy, instead of costs, common sense and economics,' she said.
'Unfortunately, politicians too often forego common sense and real leadership, for noisy public activism.'
She painted a picture of Australia being the 'cusp of greatness' in the late 1960s to early 1970s.
'Government was wary of taking on debt, our nation was developing well, migrants were arriving from Italy and Greece especially, and settling in well, working and contributing, in numbers that worked, bringing with them a desire to succeed in their new country, not wanting Aussie taxpayers’ welfare,' she said.
'Our population was educated, skilled and industrious. Government was far, far less intrusive and the welfare state as we know it today did not exist.'
However, she argued that all changed with the election of the Whitlam Labor government in 1972.
'Trade unions impatient to claim an even greater share of what they saw as this prosperous future, helped to elect a socialist government led by Gough.'
'Policies were put in place that favoured trade unions and popular agendas rather than common sense.
As well as being head of ire ore mining giant Hancock Prospecting Ms Rinehart is Australia's largest land holder
In the speech, she also called for an end of 'discriminatory limit on work hours' to let pensioners, uni students, veterans, disabled and nonviolent non-dangerous prisoners help fill labour shortages'.
Ms Rinehart, who is worth an estimated at $34.41billion, is Australia's biggest land holder with her properties constituting about 1.6 per cent of of the continent's land mass.
