Farm Debt Mediation Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 29 September 2016.)

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (11:27): I rise to support the bill put to the house by the member for Hammond. In recent years I have had a fair bit to do with a number of farmers in my electorate who have been suffering from the vagaries of the weather, in particular drought, and who have found themselves under financial strain. A number of those farmers have been using the services of rural counsellors to try to work through that.

There are a lot of issues, but one of the issues that has been brought to my attention is that of compulsory debt mediation by the banks, forcing the banks to go through a process of mediation prior to or instead of just foreclosing on the financial arrangement they have with their clients in time such as these. I have been urged by those rural counsellors to support a move such as has been brought by the member for Hammond, and I congratulate him for bringing this to the house.

I understand the government is not in favour of this process, a process which happens in other jurisdictions. It is certainly in place in Victoria, just across the border from my electorate, and I am sure that it works very well. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the government in South Australia does not support the farming community by supporting this move that has been brought to the house by the member for Hammond.

There is nothing worse than a farmer suffering financial hardship from matters which are totally outside their control, and that happens all too regularly in South Australia because we do not necessarily enjoy the best climate for farming, as is enjoyed by lots of other places on the planet, and drought is a fact of life. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.