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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-24 Daily Xml
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Dairy Industry

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Minister, how is the state government supporting South Australian dairy farmers?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:17): I thank the member for Newland for his question and for his support of the dairy industry. I think South Australia was one of the first jurisdictions in Australia to get out there and stand side by side with our dairy farmers who are really doing it tough at the moment following on from the Murray Goulburn's, milk processors, decision to cut the price that they are paying dairy farmers. Not only are they cutting the price they are paying but they are also demanding payback for the past 10 months of payments that they have made to those dairy farmers.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Newland is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Anyone who knows a dairy farmer knows that it's an incredibly tough life. It's a job where you are stuck by your farm for most of the day. You have to milk in the morning and milk in the afternoon and, if you want to go on holidays with your family, it means getting someone in to pay them to cover for you. Often, that costs you more than what your milk is worth before these sorts of cuts that have been announced—firstly, by Murray Goulburn, and then followed up by New Zealand dairy processor, Fonterra.

The South Australian government has come up with $60,000, which is what the South Australian Dairyfarmers' Association asked for.

Mr KNOLL: Point of order, Mr Speaker: your inbox details a press release on 18 May which details all the information that the minister has so far given to the house. That's us doing our homework.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: This is an incredibly important issue for dairy farmers in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: I will check the answer against the news release for the alleged consistency.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Thank you. The member for Schubert is doing dairy farmers a great disservice by interrupting. This money is going towards financial counselling and psychological counselling because, when I was in Mount Gambier the week before last talking to some people down there, it was quite clear that people were quite fragile in terms of their mental health and we heard stories that some people were suicidal.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: What will you do afterwards? Wok in a Box again?

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Last week, apart from the federal minister because of caretaker conventions, all the state and territory and New Zealand agriculture ministers met in New Zealand, where the dairy issue was front and centre. Jaala Pulford, who is the Victorian agriculture minister, and I met with the Chairman of Fonterra—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is called to order and the member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: This is a really serious issue and I'm really upset with the member for Schubert trying to trivialise this. I will be letting—

The SPEAKER: Minister, I will deal with the member for Schubert.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Alright. I will be telling the dairy farmers what the Liberal Party thinks of their plight. We were out there—the first jurisdiction in Australia—standing side by side with the dairy farmers, and all these guys want to do is play politics with it. It's cheap politics. It's disgraceful politics. Get with what the public sentiment is.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated while the member for Unley—

Mr PISONI: Surely a personal reflection from the minister.

The SPEAKER: If that is imputing improper motives, we're a pretty weak bunch. Minister.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We put to the Chairman of Fonterra the concerns of governments and the dairy farmers of South Australia and Victoria. Tomorrow we are meeting with Murray Goulburn here in South Australia to work on ways they can help the dairy farmers. It has created a great amount of interest among people in the city and, when people are interested in what the farmers are doing, that is a good thing.

I congratulate all those on social media who are standing by our farmers and going out there buying the milk that will support South Australians. This is about people power just like it was with Spring Gully. I salute those South Australians who are doing the right thing and sticking up for South Australian farmers just as we are as a government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is on two warnings.

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