Farm Business Resilience Program

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:42): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister update the council about the Farm Business Resilience Program in South Australia?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:42): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in regional South Australia. I am pleased to advise the chamber that over $1 million has recently been allocated to the Farm Business Resilience Program to grow the reach of the GrowStrong program amongst South Australian viticulturists and vegetable growers. The program is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and is designed to build the strategic management capacity of primary producers to prepare for and manage risk, adapt to a changing climate and improve their economic and social resilience.

Importantly, the GrowStrong program is sector led, providing industry-specific learnings to maximise the benefits for participants. Under the Farm Business Resilience Program, the Wine Grape Council of South Australia successfully delivered the GrowStrong program for wine grapegrowers in Langhorne Creek, the Riverland and the Limestone Coast last year. A further $1,021,000 has been allocated to the Wine Grape Council of South Australia, and they will now deliver the program to four new regions, namely the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare and McLaren Vale. There will also be a provision for follow-up support for past participants, and $210,900 has also been allocated to AUSVEG SA to continue delivery of tailored training for South Australian vegetable growers.

Some of the features of the program include training opportunities that can equip farm businesses to meet the demands of vegetable growing both now and in planning for future needs. The Farm Business Resilience Program offers a range of support options to growers, including business masterclasses and training delivered in region; support to build skills in business strategy and decision-making, drought and risk management, natural resource management and personal and social resilience; and farm business fitness checks with support to develop a 'plan on a page', as it is called, or update an existing business plan.

The additional funding for the Farm Business Resilience Program also complements the state government's $18 million support package announced in November last year, which is being rolled out across the state to help meet the needs of farmers through mental health and wellbeing, freight costs for donated fodder and business resilience.

Indeed, over the long weekend I was delighted to see a particularly large hay run undertaken, and the freight costs for that were part of the $18 million support package. It had over 100 truckloads of donated fodder—if I recall correctly, they had come particularly from Victoria—and I thank all the volunteers who were involved in that important program.