Primary Producers

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:16): My question is to the Treasurer, representing the Minister for Primary Industries. Will the government be providing any assistance to our farmers who are facing tough seasonal conditions across South Australia? With your leave, Mr Speaker, and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: Primary producers are currently experiencing their second failed spring with record low rainfalls, limited to no feed and frost, which has decimated the wine industry. Farmers want to know what the government is going to do to assist them.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (14:16): I thank the member for MacKillop for his question. I also thank him for raising these concerns with me directly. I am also aware that other members of the house have also put on record, including in this week, including the member for Chaffey, as well before him the member for Hammond, and highlighted to the parliament the concerns of their constituents and of the agriculture industry more generally about the very difficult seasonal conditions that have persisted through the course of this year.

To somebody who is admittedly less experienced and practised in primary industries as those members and those other members representing regional areas, it seems to me that these seasonal conditions have felt even tougher because they have come after previous seasons that have been very good seasons. So it is not only noticeable but it is an extraordinary wrench in experience for a lot of primary producers compared with what we have had only in recent seasons.

Of course, both the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and also the federal primary industries department keep a very close eye on these seasonal conditions, particularly for the risk of drought and for the capacity of those longstanding assistance regimes that are triggered for parts of our country experiencing very low rainfall or drought conditions.

That is something that is being actively watched. To give a more direct answer to the member, while we are paying very close attention to this, which is helped by the direct reports we are having from members who are reporting the difficult experiences of their constituents, I am not aware of those specific assistances being triggered yet, but it is something that we are very concerned about.

I have reported to the house previously that one of the stronger contributors to the state's economic performance, particularly over the last two years, has been the very, very productive and very lucrative seasons of crops we have had in South Australia. We are going from a position where crop production has been very high and exports have been correspondingly high and the receipts of those exports have been very high to now what we are expecting to be the opposite experience, which will also affect the overall economic performance of our state.

This is not just an issue that is particular to regional members and the communities that they represent; this is something that is likely to have a much broader economic impact on the state, particularly if these conditions continue to persist. I am certainly no meteorologist, but I am not sure that we are yet being given any comfort that these prolonged periods of lower than expected rainfall are about to break and that is why so much focus and attention is being put on it.

I thank the member for MacKillop for his question. I also thank those other members who have raised with me directly, but also raised in this place, these concerns, because I think it is important. All South Australians should be aware of them and give them careful thought.