FARM FINANCE PACKAGE

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): Will the minister guarantee that South Australian farmers will be able to access the full $60 million over the time frame allocated and that that money will not be frittered away on administrative costs?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:31): That is an absolutely outrageous assertion.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Yes or no!

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is just insulting—absolutely insulting. Here we have a federal government that has put aside hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to assist our farmers. Up to $60 million is made available for each jurisdiction. That is a pool of money that is made available. I cannot guarantee that I am going to receive applications for that full amount. It will be up to farmers to decide what their needs are and apply for it. The honourable member has no idea.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: I want a guarantee that it's not going to be used to administer it.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: He needs to get online and check out what this scheme is all about. He obviously has no idea what is going on. The amount is up to $60 million and it will be dependent on the number of farmers and the amounts that they apply for. There is a small administrative cost and I have already been up-front with that. We are negotiating for the federal government to cover those costs, but they have to be paid.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: The administrative costs have to be covered one way or the other, and one way or the other it comes out of public spending.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Here we go. The Hon. Ms Lensink.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Ridgway will stop insulting his deputy leader. The Hon. Ms Lensink.