❓ Mr. Snook questions the Premier about drought relief funding for WA farmers, highlighting the perceived exclusion from a federal package. The Premier acknowledges the issue and outlines steps taken, promising further clarification on specific representations made to the federal government.
AnsweredQoN 733Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DROUGHT RELIEF - LACK OF FUNDING FOR WA FARMERS
I refer to the federal government’s announcement yesterday of an additional $350 million drought relief package to Australian states, from which Western Australian farmers appear to have been precluded. (1) Is the Premier fully aware of the severe problems affecting farmers and communities in the north-eastern wheatbelt? (2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
I refer to the federal government’s announcement yesterday of an additional $350 million drought relief package to Australian states, from which Western Australian farmers appear to have been precluded. (1) Is the Premier fully aware of the severe problems affecting farmers and communities in the north-eastern wheatbelt? (2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(1) Is the Premier fully aware of the severe problems affecting farmers and communities in the north-eastern wheatbelt? (2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(1) Is the Premier fully aware of the severe problems affecting farmers and communities in the north-eastern wheatbelt? (2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(2) Has his government made representation this year to the federal government, seeking alteration to the exceptional circumstances qualification criteria requirements of two years of consecutive declared drought so that Western Australian farmers could access this funding? (3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(3) If not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
I thank the member for the question and for his undoubtedly genuine interest in this issue. (1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
(1)-(3) I think everybody in Western Australia, irrespective of where they sit politically or where they might live, would have been extremely disappointed with the commonwealth package for extended drought relief, in that it did zip for Western Australia. It surprised and disappointed everybody. Last Friday when we were in Melbourne, the Council for the Australian Federation was established. It is a council of all the Premiers and territory leaders. One of the issues we discussed was the very one that the member has raised. The concerns manifested themselves in a letter to the head of the Reserve Bank that outlined what difficulties might confront farmers across Australia, who would face dire circumstances if interest rates were to rise. There were discussions at that meeting about the mechanisms by which drought relief can make its way to farmers in various states and the difficulty that farmers have in accessing that drought relief fund through a bureaucratic maze, it would seem, and a raft of procedural matters. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I do not want to provide a misleading answer to the second part of the question. My understanding is that the answer is yes, but I am not exactly certain of the time frame. If the member would allow me a short period of grace, I can get the correct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food. In answer to the first part of the question - that is, whether I am fully aware - the answer is yes. It may surprise the member to know that we have a great interest. Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr G. Snook : Have you been to the affected areas of the state to have a look? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I have not been to the drought-affected areas this year, no. I would like to be able to but I have not had the chance to go there yet. The Minister for Agriculture and Food certainly has. I believe that few people in Western Australia would have anything but the highest praise for the Minister for Agriculture and Food. He is often referred to as the best Minister for Agriculture we have had for a very long time. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The absence of the former member for Stirling allows me to make that comment without a loud interjection in the negative. We are aware of the issue and have discussed it in cabinet. We have announced our own relief measures and assistance with rate payments and so on. In response to the second part of the question, if the member could give me a little time this afternoon, I will find the definitive answer to it.
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