Fourth Annual Parliamentary Horticulture Showcase: A celebration of Victoria's vibrant horticulture industry

By Craig Taberner

Victoria’s vibrant horticultural industry was on full display from 28 August to 1 September 2023, as NGIV hosted its fourth Annual Parliamentary Horticulture Showcase at the iconic Queen’s Hall, Victorian Parliament House. This event served as a platform to highlight the diversity and significance of Victoria’s horticulture industry and its importance to Victoria’s economy, the environment, and communities.

NGIV’s collective opinion was that 2023 has been our most impressive exhibition yet. Building upon the success of last year’s Showcase, this year we enjoyed deeper engagement with attendees, with the inclusion of the Growing Victoria green wall, the participation of primary school students, and a different focus for each day of the exhibition to keep the audience of policy makers fresh and inquisitive.

Kicking off with a flurry of activity, NGIV staff, our garden designers and a team of hard-working volunteers from Sevron worked tirelessly to set up the immersive Showcase Garden in just a few hours. Through skilful and thoughtful design, the garden aimed to demonstrate the beauty and versatility of Victoria’s locally grown flora whilst at the same time celebrating the diversity of our horticulture industry – reinforced by storytelling display boards, interactive materials, and information describing our supply chain and the role of horticulture in our state. Designed by MIFGS Achievable Gardens alumni Josie Wilson and Suzannah Kennett Lister (from Josie Wilson Landscape Design and SKL Gardens respectively), the display garden prompted many comments from Members of Parliament impressed by not only the sights, but also (perhaps surprisingly) the smells.

The official opening and launch of the Showcase took place on Tuesday 29 August, with NGIV President Simon Gomme, Minister for Agriculture the Hon. Gayle Tierney MLC, Jane Edmanson OAM, Shadow Minister for Agriculture Emma Kealy MP, and NGIV CEO Craig Taberner all in attendance to cut the pothos vine to officially mark the opening.

The launch was attended by key figures in Victoria’s policy and political landscape and presented a fantastic opportunity for Victorian Parliamentarians and NGIV members to meet and chat to share a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities within our sector. Many departmental and Parliamentary attendees engaged in policy discussions with NGIV staff and members and took the time to chat with students – an amazing group of Grade 4 students from Berwick Lodge Primary School accompanied by Assistant Principal Sanda McCrum, who represented their school and the educational opportunities afforded by our industry proudly.

Appreciation Day

For Horticulture Appreciation Day on Wednesday 30 August, Parliament House was host to Claire Hooper, Australian stand-up comedian, television and radio presenter and joined by special panel discussion guests for a session focused on the importance of horticulture, its impact on wellbeing, and the role it plays in the lives of Victorians. Claire welcomed Brett Ratten, former AFL Coach and Carlton football player, alongside Chloe Thomson, Presenter, video producer, digital content creator, copywriter and horticulturist to the stage for an engaging and sincere discussion about their love for greenlife and the industry. They spoke about its impact on them personally, the broader role it plays in fostering connectedness and the importance of horticulture being a viable and rewarding career option for future generations.

The panel discussion was well attended and proved to be an engaging way to reinforce some of the key messages of the Showcase.

Celebration Day

Horticulture Celebration Day on Thursday 31 August celebrated horticulture’s role in creating vibrant communities and NGIV continued to strongly advocate for the growth of Victoria’s horticultural industry both now and into the future. NGIV called on all Members of Parliament to engage their local schools in the Scarecrow Challenge, fostering environmental awareness and sustainability in both fun and practical ways. Minister for Education the Hon. Natalie Hutchins MP, visited to lend her

support to the inititiave and officially launch the Scarecrow Challenge, to be judged at MIFGS 2024.

Celebration Day was also a chance for us to give away some plants as a permanent reminder to Members of Parliament, which is always popular. Many Members and staff had impressively kept their plants from last year alive and were excited to add to, and discuss, their growing collection. This provided further opportunities for engagement and promote NGIV’s policy priorities.

Our policy priorities

The Showcase highlighted the importance of the horticultural industry in Victoria and aimed to encourage Members of Parliament to consider and act on our recommendations on some of the policy matters that are most important to us as an industry. We advocated NGIV's updated policy priorities in asking each attendee to:

1. Commit to improving Victoria’s Green Infrastructure for future climate resilience

The need to invest in green infrastructure to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability is paramount.

2. Strengthen the resilience of the horticultural industry

Recognising the challenges posed by a changing climate and taking steps to ensure the industry’s resilience is vital.

3. Nurture our workforce for future skills and growth

Developing a skilled workforce and addressing negative perceptions of horticulture are essential for the industry’s growth.

4. Commit to increased targetted funding of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Acknowledging the cultural and economic contribution of MIFGS to Victoria is crucial for its continued success.

5. Support the important work of horticultural educators

Investment in technology, infrastructure, and teaching staff within educational institutions is necessary to support the industry’s growth.

6. Open doors to international market access and exports.

Exploring and investing in interstate and international export opportunities will expand the reach of Victoria’s horticultural products.

By focusing on these policy priorities, NGIV continues to advocate for a stronger, sustainable, and vibrant horticultural sector that benefits all Victorians and reminds the Government, Opposition and minor parties that we rely on their funding and policy support.

promoting excellence among our representatives across the industry and in advocacy matters.

We’re thrilled with the high level of engagement and positive feedback we had through the week, and we expect to keep much of the policy dialogue continuing over the coming months. NGIV’s vision is for a united, growing and sustainable industry that is strengthened with support from all political parties across the Victorian Parliament.

During the week there were many notable drop-ins, and below is a summary of several VIPs who attended.

» Deputy Premier, the Hon. Jacinta Allan MP

» The Hon. Gayle Tierney MLC, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Higher Education and Minister for Skills and Training

» Leader of the Nationals, the Hon. Peter Walsh MP

» Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Ms Emma Kealy MP

» Leader of the Liberal Party and Opposition, the Hon. John Pesutto MP

» Leader of the Victorian Greens, Dr Samantha Ratnam MLC

» The Hon. Natalie Hutchins MP, Minister for Education and Minister for Women

» The Hon. Ingrid Stitt MLC, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-prep

» The Hon. Ben Carroll MP, Minister for Employment, Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty

» The Hon. Harriet Shing MLC, Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Equality

» The Hon. Maree Edwards MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

» The Attorney General, the Hon. Jaclyn Symes MLC

» The Minister for Health, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP

NGIV estimates that over 70% of all Victorian Members of Parliament engaged with NGIV and our members during our exhibition – a terrific result.

A collaborative effort

There are many people and businesses we must thank for their contributions to the Showcase: our esteemed Directors and members including Symone Brown, Matt Mansfield and Suzie Shearer for taking part in the official launch, among others, who engaged with Parliamentarians and spoke passionately and professionally about our industry each day of the Showcase; Sevron, whose team of volunteers were instrumental in the bump-in and bump-out of the Showcase; Steve and Biemond Nurseries, who coordinated plant drop offs and pick up; Josie and Suzannah, who built the incredible immersive Showcase Garden; the nurseries who supplied the plants: Haars, Humphris, Biemond Nurseries, Oasis, Warners, Paradisia, Proteaflora, Speciality Trees, with turf supplied by Lilydale, and Powerplants for providing the technology component of the display; and finally, David Reid, who was tireless during the lead up and throughout the week, along with the whole NGIV team.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who supported this week, whether as industry spokespeople, suppliers or otherwise – it couldn’t have been the success we hoped for without you.

The 2023 NGIV Annual Parliamentary Horticulture Showcase was a resounding success in celebrating Victoria’s horticultural industry. We intend for this to continue as an annual event and in the meantime, we look forward to continuing to advocate for the interest of our members and our industry with growing esteem.

The road ahead

NGIV will continue with our ongoing advocacy efforts, but we acknowledge the substantial work ahead as we seize the policy opportunities created by our Fourth Annual Horticulture Showcase. This is crucial as we pursue our primary policy goals, benefiting both NGIV members and the wider horticulture industry.

Advocacy remains a pivotal yet challenging task for us. While we’ve made significant strides in the past six years, your individual and business support is still essential. We urge our members to connect with their local Members of Parliament through collaboration with NGIV, extend invitations for them to visit your local businesses, provide them with our policy booklet, and please keep our office informed about your engagement activities.

While the week celebrated horticulture and its dedicated contributors, NGIV believes most strongly that with continued support and investment from decision-makers within the Victorian Parliament, we can continue to strengthen this vibrant and dynamic industry to benefit all.