Drought Assistance

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries questions regarding the drought.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: I have met with farmers right across the state who are entering the sixth or even seventh year of drought conditions with no meaningful break. From the Mid North to Eyre Peninsula, the Mallee to the Upper South-East, I have heard, and my colleagues have heard, heartbreaking stories of families forced to sell off breeding stock, cancel cropping programs and rely on carted water just to keep their operations afloat.

One farmer told me that their once-prized paddocks now yield dust and disappointment. Another spoke of the emotional toll, the constant financial pressure, the anxiety for their children's future, and the sense of abandonment, as government talks about resilience whilst failing to act. In Booleroo Centre, a seventh-generation farming family has described this drought as the worst they have ever seen, simply saying, 'We have no reserves left.' In a statement from Naracoorte Lucindale Council, Mayor Patrick Ross said:

Drought funds are welcome, but they must flow more freely to the people on the land and the small businesses that support them. I understand that drought no longer needs to be declared in a region for farmers to be eligible for assistance. But let's call it: this is an emergency. With drought impacting pretty much everyone, the notion that 'farmers can take action for themselves when they need it' needs to be rethought.

When hundreds are impacted by a natural disaster we call it an emergency. This drought is impacting tens of thousands and yet it is being left up to individual farmers—already stressed and battling to keep their farms operating and animals fed—to reach out for help. I urge the Premier to listen.

My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister advise whether a formal request has been made to cabinet or the State Emergency Management Committee to consider an emergency declaration for the drought?

2. Has the government and the minister sought advice from emergency services, primary producers, and local councils on whether a formal emergency declaration is warranted? If so, what was the advice?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for her question. I have been speaking with farmers across the state for many, many months now. We made the first drought package back in November last year, which was after a large number of meetings across the state with farmers directly as well as with peak bodies. The two drought packages, totalling $73 million, have been designed in concert with those farmers and with the peak bodies.

Unfortunately, however, many farmers are concerned that they are not eligible for assistance because those opposite, particularly the Leader of the Opposition in this place, constantly—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —provide misinformation. The leader is saying that they come to her and yet she continues to provide misinformation. First of all, she said: 'We must declare the drought.' She knows drought declarations are not needed to access assistance. She knows drought declarations are not required, and yet what did we see? Within the last couple of weeks she is promoting a petition that says: 'Declare the drought.' What misinformation is she providing? How is that helping our farmers?

We hear her constantly saying either in the media or on social media that it is very, very hard to access assistance and that people are not eligible. Why isn't she telling them to apply for that assistance? Why isn't she encouraging them to reach out for that assistance? Why isn't she actually doing something constructive to help instead of seeking media headlines—media headlines, instead of actually being responsible about directing people to the assistance that is available?

Next we saw some call about some emergency declaration and the appointment of a State Coordinator. The police commissioner came out at that time and said he, of course, would be the State Coordinator under what was being called for, and that there was no additional assistance that it would free up—no additional assistance for that to occur. The police commissioner said that. Now we have the opposition calling for some other sort of declaration.

There is a $73 million package available. We are continuing to meet with farmers and their representative bodies about future directions if the drought continues. There is federal assistance available. I encourage all farmers who are doing it so tough at the moment not to listen to the opposition, who is trying to politicise this, but instead to look at the assistance that is available, to ask for that assistance, and be able to access that assistance. If they are having difficulty, they are more than welcome to contact my ministerial office, and I am happy to assist in any way that we can.