Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor today welcomed Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to the Hume electorate.

The delegation visited the Hodgkinson family’s property “Vale View” at Murrumbateman to announce a tightening of rules on foreign purchases of agricultural land.

Mr Taylor welcomed the news today of a new $15 million screening threshold on the cumulative value of agricultural land owned by a foreign investor, as well as the establishment of a register of foreign ownership of agricultural land.

“The community must have confidence that foreign purchases of our land are first and foremost in the interests of Australia.” Thanking the Hodgkinson’s for their hospitality, Mr Taylor described the family as “typical of Australian agriculture and what has made it great.”

“The Hodgkinsons first came here in the 1850s, they’re still here, farming passionately, farming with great energy and they understand, as I do, that we are seeing extraordinary opportunities in agriculture opening up at the moment and central to that have been the policies of this government. I have never seen a turnaround in any market like we have seen in the cattle industry in the last couple of months and we know that our policies have re-established markets that were destroyed and we are opening up new markets. And that’s what good government is all about,” Mr Taylor said.

Property owner Landon Hodgkinson said the start to 2015 could not have been better for farmers and graziers in the district. “Since Christmas, we’ve had 10 inches of rain, which is a huge kick - and livestock prices, particularly cattle prices, have skyrocketed. We really can’t complain.”

When asked about his impressions of the Hume electorate, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “I know that it is a diverse electorate, with some of the greatest people in Australia. I have to say that I have pedalled through here quite a few times as part of my pollie pedal bike ride and on at least two of those occasions I stopped off at the Binalong Pub, had some very good times at the Binalong Pub. Not so long ago, Margie my wife was contacted by the Binalong Childcare Centre and my understanding is she is going to be involved in some events for them.

“Angus is an outstanding local Member and not just an outstanding local Member, he’s a really promising member of a government with a really big future ahead of it,” Mr Abbott said.