Drought Assistance
Mr PERRETT (Gympie—LNP) (2.06 pm): Drought is nothing new. We have dealt with it before
and we will deal with it again. Almost 60 per cent of the state is in drought, with parts enduring their
seventh consecutive failed season. The situation is becoming increasingly desperate. Although farmers
can always rely on rain coming, it is just when. One thing farmers cannot rely on is a state government
and minister who is fair dinkum about supporting them and their community, which is struggling under
this drought. This government engages in politically opportunistic window-dressing and insincerity as it
masquerades as being supportive of drought-affected farmers and communities.
During a drought, the government has two roles. The first is to directly support farmers. The other
role is to get out of the way and let farmers do what they do best. This government continually gets in
the way of farmers. When the drought was worsening and we were heading into the dry season, the
government introduced anti-farmer vegetation laws as well as revoked the drought declaration of 11
regions.
The government is deliberately dragging its feet in allowing the local drought committees to
reconvene to reconsider the drought status. We know from those on the ground that requests for local
drought committees to meet have been denied by the department. If the minister trusts the advice of
these committees, it is in his best interests to have them meet.
The minister says that all anyone has to do is fill in the paperwork. This morning in question time,
despite being prepared by bureaucrats, the minister could not even recall an independent drought
property declaration. The process is onerous. As a primary producer who has experienced drought, I
have firsthand experience of it. It is not simple. Farmers are handfeeding their livestock. When it is clear
that they are in drought, the last thing they need is additional red tape. The minister could simplify the
process by making a drought declaration. A cynic would say that this refusal is more about penny
pinching. Members should remember that this minister has said that there is more money in the budget
for drought because there are fewer people to apply for it. It is time to take the politics out of drought
declarations.
The minister should reconvene the local drought committees and have an audit of where the
state stands. Perhaps there might be some more transparency about which regions make the grade
and which ones do not. Let us see whether the government will take on board its drought
commissioners’ highly critical advice in relation to the government’s anti-farmer vegetation management
laws, making this drought bite harder. I will not hold my breath. It is time for Labor to stop playing politics
with people’s lives, scrap its antifarming laws and provide genuine support to farmers as they continue
to battle drought.