Drought Assistance

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:43): My question is to the Premier. Will the state government commit to paying the costs on 210 loads of hay to more than 200 farmers in desperate need of feed? With your leave, Mr Speaker, and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: Victorian charity Aussie Hay Runners has 7,560 bales of hay waiting to go, but it's waiting for a response from this government following its request to assist with the cost of diesel.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Police) (14:44): I thank the member for MacKillop for his question about drought support. As I have previously advised the house in response to similar questions, the government is well aware of the extraordinary pressures that our primary producers are under, with the remarkably dry conditions that have been experienced in South Australia over the last 12 months. Part of that drought funding package was to provide freight subsidies for those charitable donations of hay and other feed being made available from farmers, including from interstate, who have decided to make that available.

Of course, I have seen the same reports in the media from Aussie Hay Runners about their claim that they have 221, I think it was, truckloads of hay to go and all it would take was a contribution towards diesel costs of $3 million to release that, which has, of course, given the government cause to be in contact with them directly, to talk through just what subsidy they feel they need in order to offset those diesel costs, as well as the costs for the drivers and an allocation for wear and tear.

I will say, though, that it has certainly been the case for government to question the much higher level of subsidy that seems implicit in Aussie Hay Runners' request, because that would seem to be something in the order of nearly $14,000 per truckload of hay. Even for a delivery from Victoria into the Mid North or beyond of South Australia, it would seem to be an extraordinarily high amount of diesel that would need to be consumed to do that.

We continue to process claims. There is still money which is being disbursed, as I understand it, to other agencies which have come forward offering to bring hay to South Australia. We are still working with Aussie Hay Runners to get to the basis of the costs that they have sought, in recognition that they seem to be significantly higher than the other organisations that we are in contact with, but that doesn't quell our enthusiasm and our capacity to make use of those very, very generous donations of hay and other supplies for primary producers which are being made available by farmers, particularly interstate, and in other parts of the state. I look forward to keeping the house advised of the progress we make in that respect.