Drought

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries a question on the topic of drought.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: According to the Auditor-General's Report there is $4.3 million in the South Australian Drought Resilience Fund, which is available and is not being used. To quote the report, this fund was established under the commonwealth's Water for Fodder Program, and the fund received revenue from southern Murray-Darling Basin irrigators in exchange for the transfer of South Australian water allocations in line with the Water for Fodder Program.

My question to the Minister for Primary Industries is: has she written to her colleague in the other place, the member for Port Adelaide, requesting that funding be redirected to provide services, such as seed banks, mental health support and the like, to our farming communities currently in need due to the drought and, if not, why not?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:20): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am happy to look into the arrangements around that fund and bring back a further response to the chamber.