Drought
Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (15:47): A week ago the Minister for Agriculture asked me to visit farming communities in the south-west. I want to thank those hardworking people for their frank and at times heartbreaking accounts of the impacts of drought on them, their families and their communities. To Gorst farm supplies and to the struggling dairy farmers, young and old, of Mortlake: thank you for your heartfelt and honest opinions on how this government can support you and your communities through this drought. I worked our family farm through the millennial drought and know too well the toll that you pay as you endlessly feed out, the gnawing concern about the overdraft and the dashed hope of a failed season. We know this one is much harder. Two years have depleted even the most forward thinking farmers’ reserves, and in the words of Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking, this is not only a rain drought but also a feed drought.
I am honoured to serve on the Premier’s drought taskforce, and to all those that gave me their thoughts and their time: your insights have been heard. At the second meeting we committed to streamlining freight routes so there are faster biosecurity clearances, so hay from New South Wales and Queensland can reach Victorian farms quickly and safely. There are also rebates for kangaroo controls and access to around 300 emergency water supply points, and we will work to find more ways to support you. We are in this for the long haul because we value your hard work.