Drought Assistance

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): Final supplementary: is the minister concerned that the present policy may have unintended consequences, given that it doesn't appear to be based on need and that farmers, after one hay drop, are deemed ineligible for future donations?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:30): Firstly, the member opposite is making assumptions. That is not what I said. I said that I would check the detail with the department around that. Secondly, obviously there is need across the state, which is why the Malinauskas government has provided a $73 million drought assistant package, the biggest state-based drought support package, I am advised, in the history of the state. That is an important part of being able to provide the support to farmers and the subsidy assistance is an important component of that. As I mentioned, it is $6 million in terms of that transport component, and five different charities have been very generous with their time, their coordination and their cooperation in terms of delivering this assistance to farmers.