Country's biggest beef event gets $12m in funding, sheep event gets nothing

There has been criticism of the federal government's $12 million support to Queensland's Beef Australia 2027 event while the Australian Sheep & Wool Show goes without.

Australian Sheep Breeders Association (ASBA) members said it was unfair for the Queensland event to get such government backing when the country's largest sheep event got no federal support.

ASBA committee member Dugald Graham said the ASWS had never received federal funding, regardless of what side of the political coin was in power.

"Yet they've seen fit to provide $12m in funding to the cattle week up in northern Queensland and nothing for the biggest sheep show in the world," he said.

"What about the sheep industry?

"What about throwing it some support, too?"

Mr Graham said the ASWS was not just a Victorian event but Australian-wide, with sheep entered from all states except the Northern Territory, and a similarly diverse group of farmers in attendance.

"We get sheep from all states, and we get basically no federal support at all," he said.

"We'd like to see something there."

The ASBA has engaged with the federal politicians representing Bendigo on the matter.

In a letter sent to Bendigo candidates for Labor, the Liberal and National parties in this year's election, ASBA president Peter English outlined their cause.

"The ASWS is the largest sheep show of its type in the world, and the event runs for three days in July," he said.

"It features breeders of all registered breeds of sheep and goats, where owners display the very best examples of the breed and compete against one another within breeds and interbreeds to be judged the best in Australia."

Mr English said there were more than 2000 sheep entered in the event and 400 fleeces, along with a ram sale and something for every farming family.

He said the ASWS had been independently modelled to generate $6m for the local economy each year.

"Despite the strong attendance, the ASBA cannot price tickets anywhere near the cost of putting on this extremely worthwhile show," he said.

"We are heavily reliant on donations from industry bodies, media and commercial enterprises to support the show, and we have recently had to expand and diversify our activities to include the provision of secretarial services to various breed societies, which, at this point, still enable us to put on the show."

Mr English said the pool of available money from sponsors was becoming increasingly difficult to access, and the cost of putting on the show had risen "dramatically in recent years".

He said the federal government regularly provided substantial assistance to the comparable Beef Australia event in Queensland.

"The ASBA is a not-for-profit organisation with an executive committee of volunteers," he said.

"We do not receive any direct funding from the state or federal government on a regular basis, a matter that we believe needs to be addressed."

Mr English said there was an "obvious disparity of funding" between the two events, representing the beef and sheep industries.

To counter this, he called on the federal government to provide $3m in funding to the ASWS every year, equal to what the beef event secured every three years.

"$3m would equate to the same level of annual support that is currently being provided to the beef industry in Queensland," he said.

Mr English said this was also based on the relevant contribution of both industries' contribution to gross domestic product (GDP).

He said the beef industry had a GDP of $16.2 billion while the sheep industry was worth $12.5b, 75 per cent of that of the former.

"And we receive no federal funding at all for our event," he said.

"What better way could there be to demonstrate your party's and your support for the people in the sheep industry and regional Victorians, and that you regard this important industry and its regional presence with as much regard as is currently paid to the beef industry's event in Queensland," he said.

Mr English said the federal government's response so far had "not addressed what we believe is a serious imbalance".

Mr Graham said Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters had been helpful on the issue, but there was little result or response as of yet.

Ms Chesters said the Beef Australia funding had "existed for a very long time".

"It is a significant amount of money but it is an international competition," she said.

"The Australian Sheep & Wool Show only approached me about three weeks ago and asked for funding.

"When I was in Parliament last week, I met with the Minister for Agriculture and asked her 'what are the potential future funding pathways for the Australian Sheep & Wool Show and the honourable Julie Cullens has committed to get back to me."