❓ Hon Bruce Donaldson asks about Dry Seasons Advisory Committee recommendations for assisting non-farming rural businesses affected by drought. Hon Kim Chance acknowledges the issue, admits the lack of effective solutions, and promises further research and discussion with the Commonwealth.
AnsweredQoN 595Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DRY SEASON ASSISTANCE
Apart from what has already appeared in the ministerial statement, has the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee made any recommendations to further assist local non-farming businesses in rural towns to ensure the retention of those providing services for farmers and local communities? Hon KIM CHANCE
Apart from what has already appeared in the ministerial statement, has the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee made any recommendations to further assist local non-farming businesses in rural towns to ensure the retention of those providing services for farmers and local communities? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
Not that I am immediately aware of. That is a question that might require some research, and I am happy to do that. I recall no single recommendation from DSAC that was aimed directly at small businesses outside farming. This is a real concern for DSAC, for the government and, indeed, for the commonwealth government. I think it is fair to say that we have struggled with this, and have really not come up with an appropriate answer. These people, however, are in real need of assistance. I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: Not that I am immediately aware of. That is a question that might require some research, and I am happy to do that. I recall no single recommendation from DSAC that was aimed directly at small businesses outside farming. This is a real concern for DSAC, for the government and, indeed, for the commonwealth government. I think it is fair to say that we have struggled with this, and have really not come up with an appropriate answer. These people, however, are in real need of assistance. I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
Not that I am immediately aware of. That is a question that might require some research, and I am happy to do that. I recall no single recommendation from DSAC that was aimed directly at small businesses outside farming. This is a real concern for DSAC, for the government and, indeed, for the commonwealth government. I think it is fair to say that we have struggled with this, and have really not come up with an appropriate answer. These people, however, are in real need of assistance. I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: Not that I am immediately aware of. That is a question that might require some research, and I am happy to do that. I recall no single recommendation from DSAC that was aimed directly at small businesses outside farming. This is a real concern for DSAC, for the government and, indeed, for the commonwealth government. I think it is fair to say that we have struggled with this, and have really not come up with an appropriate answer. These people, however, are in real need of assistance. I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
Not that I am immediately aware of. That is a question that might require some research, and I am happy to do that. I recall no single recommendation from DSAC that was aimed directly at small businesses outside farming. This is a real concern for DSAC, for the government and, indeed, for the commonwealth government. I think it is fair to say that we have struggled with this, and have really not come up with an appropriate answer. These people, however, are in real need of assistance. I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
I am referring to farmers who are able to defer some of their expenses and the impact being somewhat deferred. Indeed, the first impact on many farmers as a result of the drought is that their budgets become more fluid in the short term because they are selling down livestock. That is the case for pastoralists. The impact on the budgets of small non-farm businesses, particularly those that deal fundamentally with farmers, is immediate and severe. As a result of the Dry Seasons Advisory Committee’s inquiries, I have seen some detail of the monthly trading figures of small businesses in the northern wheatbelt, and the figures are horrifying. An example of the severity of the drought is a trading company that normally traded $410 000 in a month had traded just $6 000. So far, despite our recognition of that difficulty, we have been unable to come up with an effective way of assisting them. In the context of natural disaster relief following the Moora floods, each business was given a set amount of money. Although there are some inequities in that type of system, there are always inequities in the way in which money is distributed. The government remains open to ideas about what can be done and it will discuss the matter further with the commonwealth government. I will research whether DSAC has made any recommendations that I cannot recall right now and inform the member of my findings tomorrow.
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