❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding drought assistance for the southern rangelands. The Minister for Agriculture and Food defends the WA government's actions and criticizes the federal government's engagement.
AnsweredQoN 1434Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DROUGHT —
SOUTHERN RANGELANDS
1434. Hon ROBIN SCOTT to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
Last week in Meekatharra, I met with
federal drought minister, David Littleproud, who advised that he has asked the WA government, in his words, to step up and
help the drought-affected pastoralists and farmers in regional WA.
(1) Does the WA government
acknowledge that there is a drought in regional WA?
(2) Has the
minister made any approaches for Minister Littleproud to visit drought-affected
WA regions; and, if not, why not?
(3) When state
governments in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland provide subsidies for
freight and fodder, why do we not have any such subsidies here in WA?
(4) Will the
minister consider assisting in paying the local government rates of regional
farmers and small businesses to help ease the burden through the drought?
SOUTHERN RANGELANDS
1434. Hon ROBIN SCOTT to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
Last week in Meekatharra, I met with
federal drought minister, David Littleproud, who advised that he has asked the WA government, in his words, to step up and
help the drought-affected pastoralists and farmers in regional WA.
(1) Does the WA government
acknowledge that there is a drought in regional WA?
(2) Has the
minister made any approaches for Minister Littleproud to visit drought-affected
WA regions; and, if not, why not?
(3) When state
governments in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland provide subsidies for
freight and fodder, why do we not have any such subsidies here in WA?
(4) Will the
minister consider assisting in paying the local government rates of regional
farmers and small businesses to help ease the burden through the drought?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(4) I
find some of those comments quite extraordinary. Indeed, we have been
corresponding with Minister Littleproud for quite some time to engage in this —
Hon Robin Scott : Not
according to him, you haven't!
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : Maybe
he does not read his correspondence, but I will give the member some dates. I wrote
to Minister Littleproud in July 2019, outlining our desire to work closely with
the commonwealth government on investment
priorities in Western Australia for consideration for its drought fund that it
had established.
Both
Minister Kelly and I attended the agriculture ministers' meeting in
October this year with Minister Littleproud there. We both raised the issue of the situation in Western Australia,
which is different from the situation in the eastern states. I am happy to
provide the member with the three-year mapping of the rainfall, but it is
absolutely true that this is a terrible year for many of those
pastoralists in the rangelands, particularly the southern rangelands. But
compare it with the situation in the eastern states, which has endured now for
three seasons; when I show the member the maps, he will see that that is not
the case in Western Australia. Indeed, this is part of our problem. The
situation for people in the eastern states is that they have deep and profound
levels of drought and then they come out of it.
Hon Robin Scott interjected.
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : What
is happening in WA is a long, slow decline, and we have been asking —
Hon Robin Scott : Answer part
(1)! Just answer the question!
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : I am
answering the question!
The PRESIDENT : Order! Order,
minister! Member, you have asked the question. You have interjected a couple of
times. The minister has been trying to respond. As we have said before, you ask
a question, the minister will provide a response. It may not necessarily be
what you expect, but she is providing a response. I ask that you listen to her
so she can complete the answer, please.
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : It is
important to understand the difference. One of the interesting things—I
do not know whether Minister
Littleproud explained to the member why it would be, and we are concerned about
this—is that income supplements are available to farmers who are
struggling, but only 83 farmers in Western Australia are getting that, yet in each of the other states over
2 000, and in some cases over 3 000, farmers are getting that assistance.
We have written to every
pastoralist. We have done over 100 visits to the most at-risk pastoral stations
and are working with them on all the animal welfare issues and feed budgeting,
providing that sort of assistance. We have been pouring money into large feral
animal herbivore control, because that is what the industry has been telling us
would help it.
Member,
we have been desperately trying to engage with Minister Littleproud over a considerable
period. We have met with the drought
task force. We have pitched ideas and projects, and I hope that he will adopt a
more collaborative approach, as we have seen adopted by Minister Bridget
McKenzie, who, I think, is really doing a good job in trying to bring the
federal and state governments together.
find some of those comments quite extraordinary. Indeed, we have been
corresponding with Minister Littleproud for quite some time to engage in this —
Hon Robin Scott : Not
according to him, you haven't!
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : Maybe
he does not read his correspondence, but I will give the member some dates. I wrote
to Minister Littleproud in July 2019, outlining our desire to work closely with
the commonwealth government on investment
priorities in Western Australia for consideration for its drought fund that it
had established.
Both
Minister Kelly and I attended the agriculture ministers' meeting in
October this year with Minister Littleproud there. We both raised the issue of the situation in Western Australia,
which is different from the situation in the eastern states. I am happy to
provide the member with the three-year mapping of the rainfall, but it is
absolutely true that this is a terrible year for many of those
pastoralists in the rangelands, particularly the southern rangelands. But
compare it with the situation in the eastern states, which has endured now for
three seasons; when I show the member the maps, he will see that that is not
the case in Western Australia. Indeed, this is part of our problem. The
situation for people in the eastern states is that they have deep and profound
levels of drought and then they come out of it.
Hon Robin Scott interjected.
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : What
is happening in WA is a long, slow decline, and we have been asking —
Hon Robin Scott : Answer part
(1)! Just answer the question!
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : I am
answering the question!
The PRESIDENT : Order! Order,
minister! Member, you have asked the question. You have interjected a couple of
times. The minister has been trying to respond. As we have said before, you ask
a question, the minister will provide a response. It may not necessarily be
what you expect, but she is providing a response. I ask that you listen to her
so she can complete the answer, please.
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN : It is
important to understand the difference. One of the interesting things—I
do not know whether Minister
Littleproud explained to the member why it would be, and we are concerned about
this—is that income supplements are available to farmers who are
struggling, but only 83 farmers in Western Australia are getting that, yet in each of the other states over
2 000, and in some cases over 3 000, farmers are getting that assistance.
We have written to every
pastoralist. We have done over 100 visits to the most at-risk pastoral stations
and are working with them on all the animal welfare issues and feed budgeting,
providing that sort of assistance. We have been pouring money into large feral
animal herbivore control, because that is what the industry has been telling us
would help it.
Member,
we have been desperately trying to engage with Minister Littleproud over a considerable
period. We have met with the drought
task force. We have pitched ideas and projects, and I hope that he will adopt a
more collaborative approach, as we have seen adopted by Minister Bridget
McKenzie, who, I think, is really doing a good job in trying to bring the
federal and state governments together.
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