Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Drought

Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (19:06): (1163) My adjournment this evening is to the Treasurer in the other place. The action I seek is that I would love to host her for a visit to south-west Victoria in the wonderful seat of Polwarth over the coming weeks. There are many opportunities that she could take advantage of where she could meet not only farmers but emergency service workers and the local townships, for that matter – and the local businesses, whether they are farm ag supply providers or farm machinery operators.

There is a crisis on in south-western Victoria at the moment. We are experiencing one of the harshest, driest periods in more than 100 years. This drought is causing great hardship to many families. ABC 774 Melbourne will be broadcasting from the wonderful seat of Polwarth tomorrow, and they are coming to Polwarth tomorrow to listen to the community and to hear the voices of farmers, of townsfolk and of people in the community who are really doing it tough. They are doing it tough for two key reasons: one is there is a drought, which this government has failed dismally to provide any hope or sustenance for. People are having to truck water. There was a family on Facebook just this week who could not afford more water. They are not able to even shower in their home. They are having to take the kids into the local caravan park in town just to have a shower each day because they are just simply not able to do that at home. That is at the personal level. Of course that has a devastating effect on keeping your livestock and animals. It is a huge cost to the community and to the wellbeing and mental wellbeing of so many people.

But of course it is further exacerbated by this government’s callous approach to the emergency services tax, which they are going full bore on, knowing full well that that tax just in my electorate alone will rip some $22 million out of the community in only a few months time. That is sitting like a massive weight and burden on those families and communities. Not only are they struggling to just have food and water available for the simple processes at home, they are trying to keep their livestock and businesses running, and now they also have to deal with a massive new tax that does nothing for them or their communities. The rhetoric from the government has been appalling. At a time when the government talks about the need for this tax, climate change and the need to keep people safe, what about the people suffering today? What about the families, the businesses and the farms that need support today? Why can’t this government who is prepared on one day to rip tens of millions out of communities on the next day barely offer them the cost of a water trough? It is simply not good enough. Please, Treasurer, take up this offer and come and meet the wonderful people of Polwarth.