Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-05-15 Daily Xml

Contents

Drought Assistance

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:01): Supplementary: if the scheme was working, why have some charities pulled out of South Australia?

The PRESIDENT: I don't think we have talked about charities, minister.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:02): I am not sure that I can speak on behalf of particular charities, but what I can say is that most of the charities are based interstate. They have many calls upon them. We know there have been floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales, and I would hope that those opposite are not saying that those charities are somehow doing the wrong thing by assisting flood-affected farmers as well as by assisting drought-affected farmers here.

We have a number of charities who are continuing, and have been continuing, to provide hay runs. We have a number of charities who are planning their current runs as we speak, and I look forward to perhaps some constructive support from those opposite for our farmers by actually letting them know how they can apply for this assistance, instead of what we hear from those opposite constantly, particularly the Leader of the Opposition in this place, which is misinformation or the distortion of information, which is causing more stress and angst in the farming communities.