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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-10-18 Daily Xml
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Gawler River Flooding

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) (14:14): I seek leave it make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Our state's agriculture sector was hit hard by the recent storms and flooding, particularly in the Gawler River Floodplain region. The South Australian government has been busy assisting primary producers across the state following the impacts of these severe weather events. The flooding of the Gawler River has had the biggest impact on primary production, with an estimated area between 1,000 and 1,500 hectares under flood in the Gawler River Floodplain horticultural region.

I have visited the region twice in the past two weeks and seen the damage firsthand, although its full scale is yet to emerge. The latest update from the area is that the water has been receding but rain over the past few days, including today, is keeping it muddy, and there are still some areas of significant flooding.

In 2005, when there was flooding, the local community and growers were prepared to manage the clean-up themselves. Unfortunately, it took months for the water to drain away and the process caused angst amongst people who were already stressed because of the flooding. This time, the state government has stepped in early to coordinate those efforts. Almost immediately, we had crews from Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (PIRSA) assessing the damage and providing advice to businesses.

The assessment teams have been meeting with producers to assess the damage to market gardens, crops, livestock, greenhouses, farm buildings and equipment, and liaising with industry associations. To date, more than 200 property and business assessments have been undertaken. The state government also set up a 24-hour hotline for producers to report losses and other associated issues, which has helped more than 40 callers and is still receiving calls.

Recovery operations are also identifying and assessing issues regarding access to clean water, organic waste and waste disposal. Initially, PIRSA's operations were overseen by an incident management team based at Glenside. Recovery programs have then operated from the Virginia Horticulture Centre since 11 October. I was out there last Monday when things moved into the horticultural centre at Virginia.

Other organisations located at the recovery centre include the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, Centrelink and Red Cross. Information is being provided to flood-impacted farmers, which includes PIRSA recovery grant fact sheets and application forms, and contact details for rural business support services. There has been an increasing number of visits to the centre as people begin to better understand their situation and seek short-term support.

The government quickly provided $260,000 to help pump floodwater away from properties and back into the Gawler River in a coordinated way as a first step in helping growers clean up and get back on their feet. The state government has recently announced more support to assist flood-affected primary producers in the Gawler River Floodplain region with grants up to $10,000. These $10,000 grants, administered by PIRSA, are available for primary producers in the inundated areas of the Gawler River Floodplain region to reimburse expenses incurred for the immediate costs of cleanup, re-establishment and repair.

In addition to the grants, a task force has been established to oversee longer term recovery across all storm-affected areas of South Australia and help affected businesses develop future investment opportunities. As agriculture minister, I will chair the Business Reinvestment Industry Taskforce with the Treasurer, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and the Minister for Innovation, as well as industry representatives. The focus of the task force will be using business reinvestment opportunities to re-establish and grow primary production businesses affected by the storms and floods. The state government will then provide additional financial support where appropriate.

Much work has been done in a very short period of time. However, the recovery process will take a long, long time, with many producers estimating it could be six months or longer before they are back in full production. At a time like this it is important everyone pitches in and does what needs to be done. I call on the local councils to step up and make sure they are fulfilling their responsibilities for flood mitigation and infrastructure in the Gawler River area.

While there is still a long way to go, I would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who have been involved in the recovery program to date. Your hard work in assisting affected producers to get back on their feet is very much appreciated. I look forward to supporting the continued recovery efforts and want the growers to know our government will be there with them for the long haul.

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