Motions

Drought Assistance

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:58): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that the value of South Australia's primary industry and agribusiness is of significant value, an estimated $18.5 billion in 2022-23;

2. Recognises that the current drought is, for many districts, the worst in living memory and is causing significant financial and mental stress across rural and regional communities in South Australia;

3. Agrees that the Malinauskas Labor government's $8.1 million 'new' funding in response to this drought is grossly inadequate considering the magnitude of hardship and suffering currently being endured by the sector;

4. Urges the Malinauskas government to explore all possible measures to ensure water and fodder supply to farming communities that desperately need it around the state;

5. Calls on the Malinauskas government to urgently provide meaningful assistance to South Australia's farming sector to underpin its ongoing viability for the benefit of all South Australians; and

6. Recognises that failure to provide meaningful assistance immediately will result in terrible human and animal welfare outcomes.

I rise today to move this motion and to speak on behalf of the many thousands of South Australians who do not have a seat in this chamber but who are living every single day with the brutal reality of the drought currently gripping our state. This is not a political stunt. This is not about headlines. This is about people, real people, farmers, families, workers, regional towns and the very future of an industry that underpins so much of who we are in South Australia.

The facts are clear: South Australia's primary industries and agribusiness sector delivered an estimated $18.5 billion to our economy in 2022-23. That is nearly one-fifth of the state's entire economic output. It is the engine room of our regional communities. It is what keeps our supply chains humming, our food shelves stocked, and our export industries alive.

But right now, that engine is struggling. It is coughing and it is straining, and in many areas it is grinding to a halt under the weight of one of the worst droughts in living memory. Let me be very clear: this is not just a dry spell. This is not a seasonal inconvenience. This is a sustained, widespread drought event that is having devastating consequences across South Australia.

In the Upper Eyre Peninsula, rainfall totals are at record lows. On Kangaroo Island, in the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu, dam levels are critically low. The South-East, parts of the Murraylands and Mallee, the Mid North—all are experiencing the kind of dry that leaves deep scars in both land and people. Pastures have failed across the state. It is a drought that impacts not just what grows above the ground but the spirit and resilience of the people living on it.

I have been speaking with farming families right across the state, people who have worked the land for generations, people who have battled through tough years before but who now find themselves in uncharted territory. One farmer from the West Coast told me he has destocked almost his entire sheep herd. The pasture is gone, the cost of feed is through the roof and the water carting bills are mounting and he said, 'I am not looking for a handout, I am just looking for a lifeline.'

In the Riverland and Mallee, a young couple managing a mixed cropping and grazing property told me they have had two failed seasons in a row. They have maxed out their overdraft just trying to keep their property viable. They said, 'We've got two young kids. We want to stay on the land, but every month that goes by without rain and without support, we are questioning whether it is worth it.'

These are not isolated stories; this is the reality for many. What has been the response from the Malinauskas Labor government? Only $8 million in actual new drought support. Let's be honest, that is a drop in the ocean. When you spread that across the entirety of drought-affected South Australia, it barely scratches the surface. It is the equivalent of saying to our farmers, 'We see your pain, but we are not going to do much about it.' It is grossly inadequate, it fails to meet the moment, and it falls desperately short of the kind of leadership this crisis demands.

Let's compare it to what is actually needed. Farmers need further assistance with freight subsidies for charity hay runs so that donated fodder can get to where it is desperately needed. They need support for water cartage because when dams run dry, trucking water in needs to be done daily and it is an unaffordable burden. They need low and no-interest concession loans, not to take on more risk but to maintain cashflow so that they can buy essential stockfeed, plan next year's crop and keep their workers employed. These are commonsense practical measures but, instead of delivering, the government is dithering.

What is even worse is that we have seen a complete lack of interest from those in charge on other critical primary production issues facing our state. The recent Senate inquiry into the mandatory code of conduct for wine grape producers was a key opportunity for South Australia to speak up, to advocate for our growers, to push for fairness, but what did the Malinauskas government do? Absolutely nothing—not one submission, not a word from the Minister for Primary Industries, Clare Scriven, not a single contribution to a national discussion that directly affects one of our state's most iconic industries.

That silence speaks volumes. It shows just how disengaged this government is from the needs of rural and regional South Australians. Yet we continue to see the Premier and his ministers rolling out the red carpet in the city, posing for glossy media opportunities while the bush burns in silence. They seem to think the next election is already won, that the regions do not matter, that the votes are locked in and that no real effort is needed. That arrogance is dangerous, and it is South Australians, particularly those in regional South Australia, who are paying the price.

The state opposition has not only been listening, we have been advocating consistently since September last year. We have been calling on the government to act, offering practical, evidence-based solutions to relieve some of the pressures this drought is causing. We have met with farmers, we have stood in dusty paddocks, we have listened to communities who feel utterly forgotten, and we have used our voice in this place to push for change because we know what is at stake.

This motion also highlights something often left unsaid: the human toll. Drought does not just kill crops and stock; it erodes hope, it leads to social isolation, it fuels anxiety and depression, and it pushes families to breaking point. Without urgent intervention, we will see terrible human and animal welfare outcomes.

I want to tell you about a grazier in the Mid North who called our office recently. He told us he was selling off breeding stock he had spent decades breeding—not because he wanted to but because he had no choice. Then he said something I will never forget: 'It's like watching your legacy slip through your fingers and knowing there's nothing that you can do.' That is the kind of quiet suffering happening right now in the regions. That is what this government is failing to see.

So today I urge this government, and indeed this parliament, to support the motion before us that makes six clear and powerful statements:

1. That we value our primary industries and agribusinesses and recognise their $18.5 billion contribution to this state.

2. That the current drought is, for many, the worst in living memory and is having devastating financial and emotional impacts.

3. That the government's current funding response is simply not good enough.

4. That all possible measures must be explored to ensure water and fodder reach those who need it.

5. That meaningful, immediate assistance must be provided to underpin the ongoing viability of the sector.

6. That failing to act will have dire human and animal welfare consequences.

So let us not waste this opportunity to do what is right. Let us not look back months from now and say we could have done more. Let us act now with the urgency, empathy and leadership that this moment demands. The drought will not wait and neither can we.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.