Despite relying on access to international markets, Australian agriculture receives more support than three decades ago.

“While Australia has low levels of support for agriculture by international standards, compared to other Australian industries overall levels of support are higher,” the report says.
“The Productivity Commissions Trade and Assistance Review indicates assistance levels for Australian agriculture are now higher than for manufacturing.”
Hidden support
ABARES, one of the guardians of agriculture policy, cites remarkable data showing that that subsidies have risen over the past three decades a period when a boom in production and farm efficiencies should have made support less necessary.
In 1986, agricultural subsidies were around $2.4 billion a year, almost all in direct support for farmers. By the end of last financial year direct support had been weaned down to around $1.5 billion.
Over the same period what is know as “general services support” less-visible subsidies that proponents say are needed to correct “market failures” expanded from almost nothing to $1.5 billion. The next effect is an increase in subsidies of around 25 per cent.
High prices, strong demand and rain is driving farm profits. 
In a world awash with rural welfare, these general supports constitute 13 per cent of the global total.
In Australia, the figure is 56 per cent, which indicates how effective rural lobbyists have been at cloaking their work, often by expressing outrage at complaints about those subsidises.
Many farmers, including me, take offence of the portrayals of the broken-down, hand-out dependent farmer profile peddled by many members of the media, NFF president Fiona Simson told the National Press Club in 2018.
Australian agriculture is one of the least-subsidised agricultural industries in the world.”
National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson says Australian farms have the lowest subsidies in the world. Alex Ellinghausen
Every bout of rural adversity became an opportunity for rural lobbyists to ratchet up government spending.
The last round took place during the recent drought when the federal Coalition extended unemployment benefits from three years to four out of every 10 for farmers suffering cash crunches. The welfare cuts out at $5 million in assets.
The industry’s greatest lobbying success may be farm management deposits, which allow farmers to time income tax payments to minimise their tax bills.
The tax shelters held $5.6 billion in March, up from $5.4 billion a year earlier during a year when agriculture supposably crippled by a lack of rain.
Despite the drought that has gripped much of the east coast over the past three years, reported three-year average farm operating profits are at their highest point since at least 1990 in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria,” rural lender Rabobank said on Monday.
Global leader
As a leading exporter of cattle, wool and wheat, it is in Australia’s interest to promote less farm welfare everywhere.
Australia’s ability to sell rice to Japan or beef to Switzerland is crippled by absurdly generous subsidies to their domestic competitors.
Global subsidies and trade barriers cost Australian agriculture $8 billion to $10 billion a year, according to one estimate.
Negotiations at the World Trade Organisation have stalled, and subsidies are rising around the world.
The coronavirus pandemic may usher in a new round of international protectionism under the guise of “national security” that will make the global economy worse off.
Australia’s farm bureaucrats recognise the danger of asking other countries to rein in farming lobbies while flirting with more aid at home under the guise of productivity-driving “investment” that shifts business costs to government.
“Governments do need to make investments in agriculture to help meet global development goals, but it is important that these investments not harm producers elsewhere,” ABARES says.
If politicians are brave, this could be a turning point. High prices, strong demand and rain means agriculture is thriving, reducing its lobbyists’ leverage. Other industries, including construction, are the priority.
“If you wanted to be in any industry in Australia right now, agriculture is pretty close to the top of the list,” NAB agribusiness economist Phin Ziebell recently told the ABC.
Sounds like a good time to revisit those secret subsidies.