Farm FInance Package

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (16:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government, the former minister for agriculture and the minister representing regional development, a question regarding Farm Finance.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: This is the first occasion in about 160 calendar days when I have had the chance to ask a question following on from my questions about Farm Finance in the last sitting week in November 2013. The PIRSA website now indicates that the federal government has committed $50 million over two years, including the current financial year, for concessional loans for debt restructuring of existing debt, with loans ranging from $200,000 to $650,000 for terms up to five years at an initial interest rate of 4.5 per cent. Applications closed on 30 April 2014, even though other states had their finance delivery vehicles ready and concessional loans made available for many months during drought conditions which extended into our state's far north pastoralist country.

I highlight in particular Oodnadatta, where two-year rainfall figures to 31 March 2014 show that it has had its lowest rainfall on record over that period, and all regions north and east from there to Birdsville have experienced a severe rainfall deficiency over the same two years. The now former minister, the Leader of the Government in this house, told this place when we last sat in November that this $50 million package was $10 million short of the $60 million per state the former federal government committed, although, as has been noted in other places, other states were far quicker in getting farm finance arrangements in place due largely, I understand, to South Australia lacking a Farm Finance delivery vehicle as the other states had.

The federal minister has also claimed that in December there is a $40 million reserve to apply next financial year to areas of greatest need if conditions change. My questions to the minister are—and I acknowledge that some of them may need to be taken on notice but with some of them the minister should have knowledge of them now:

1. Why are pastoralists like those at Allandale Station at Oodnadatta still waiting for assistance from this government?

2. Why is PIRSA now seeking information from station-owners about the Farm Finance problems when it has been going on for many months, and was even debated in this place in November, and PIRSA clearly had briefing notes to the minister?

3. Does the minister agree with the figures and, in turn, the logic behind the federal minister's claim on 4 December that South Australia has 10.5 per cent of total farms in the nation but will be getting 12 per cent of the total concessional loan funds?

4. How many farmers sought farm finance before 30 April deadline (that has just passed) and what is the expected draw on the $25 million this financial year as a result of those applications?

5. Finally, with the benefit of hindsight and as the Premier has said, chastised by its poor electoral showing in the regions, does the government now apologise to South Australia's farmers for dragging its feet in getting a delivery vehicle ready for farm finance before its federal Labor colleagues lost office in September?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (16:23): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I will refer them to the appropriate minister in another place and bring back a response. However, the bottom line is quite simple: that is, the former Labor government committed to and funded this farmers' finance package to the tune of $60 million for South Australian farmers and then along came the Abbott Liberal government and siphoned off $10 million out of that fund to give to other states. That is the bottom line: $10 million was siphoned off to other states. There is nothing that the Hon. Mr Brokenshire can do to distort the fundamental fact that a former Labor government was prepared to support South Australian farmers more than an Abbott Liberal government.