As South Australia heads towards next month’s State Election, it is fair to say the political temperature is lower than usual.
Recent polling suggests the Malinauskas Labor Government is likely to be comfortably returned. That may risk dampening the contest of big ideas.
It also means fewer bold commitments for sectors seen as “steady” rather than “swing”. SA agriculture knows that story well.
Our sector is often treated as a constant. It is a reliable economic stalwart that will keep performing, regardless of the policy environment.
Meanwhile, newer or higher-profile sectors like defence attract major announcements, sustained political attention and long-term investment strategies. Yet the facts tell a different story.
The More Than an Industry Report 2025 highlights the critical contribution of agribusiness, food and wine to SA.
It generates $17.3 billion in revenue, supports more than 70,000 jobs, produces $8.2b in exports, and manages over half of the state’s land mass.
That is not a legacy industry. It is a strategic one.
But agriculture doesn’t run on autopilot. It runs on people, policy settings, infrastructure, biosecurity vigilance, market access, water security, energy reliability and workforce availability.
None of those happen by accident.
That’s why SA’s farm advocacy bodies matter.
PPSA is a member-driven organisation, and our members are the state’s peak commodity groups – Grain Producers SA, Livestock SA, the SA Dairyfarmers’ Association, the SA Forest Products Association, the Horticulture Coalition of SA and the Wine Grape Council of SA.
Together, these organisations ensure agriculture is not taken for granted.
Without strong peak bodies – and the united cross-commodity voice they create – agriculture could feature far less prominently in election platforms.
Collectively, we bring scale, evidence and credibility to the table. When agriculture speaks with a unified voice, grounded in member-endorsed priorities, it carries weight.
It turns anecdotes into data, frustration into policy proposals and local issues into statewide reform.
PPSA’s role is to advocate purposefully and work productively with the government of the day, and to bring commodities together to develop cross-sector policies and projects that promote the social, economic and environmental sustainability of primary production.
That means tackling issues that don’t sit neatly in one commodity box, such as biosecurity preparedness, workforce, energy, water, drought and long-term resilience.
Government investment in agriculture is critical, particularly in research and development, biosecurity systems, infrastructure and industry growth.
But those investments are most effective when shaped in partnership with credible, member-led organisations that understand on-farm realities and prosecute priorities with discipline.
Elections are moments when sectors either shape the agenda or risk being shaped by it.
If agriculture wants to remain central to SA’s economic future – not simply assumed as part of its past – then strong commodity councils and strong cross-commodity representation are essential.
Agriculture cannot afford to be taken for granted.
This column was written by PPSA Chair Professor Simon Maddocks and originally appeared in the 26 February 2026 edition of Stock Journal.
