The Minister
Minister for Primary Industries
Minister for Energy
Minister for Mineral Resources
Minister for State Development
NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald brings to the portfolios a strong background in regional and rural affairs.
Mr Macdonald has been a strong advocate of rural and regional issues in the Parliament. He has served as member or chair on numerous Parliamentary Committees dealing with issues ranging from pesticides and genetically modified organisms to coastal development.
Mr Macdonald has links with the land going back to his childhood days when family members dairy farmed at Gippsland in Victoria.
Before moving to Carcoar, in the Central West, he had a mixed farm at Young, running 400 cattle and growing 400 acres of grain crops, including wheat, canola, triticale and oats.
He continues to be involved in a joint venture at Errowanbang, Carcoar, where he and some partners are further developing a Murray Grey cattle stud.
Mr Macdonald has been successfully showing cattle at Sydney and regional shows since 1992.
He is also a member of the NSW Farmers Association, the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society and the Australian Highland Society.