Thursday, 15 May 2025

Drought relief

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (09:57): Over the past few months I have been meeting with farmers across Western Victoria to hear about the drought. I have met with and heard from dairy farmers in the south-west and sheep and grain producers in the Grampians and Wimmera. I have also met with the United Dairy Farmers of Victoria (UDV), the Victorian Farmers Federation and GrainGrowers Australia. In addition, I have met with small business owners and community groups, including last week in Pomonal, Moyston, Mafeking and Willaura. Anyone driving through communities like Koroit, Simpson, Timboon, Orford, Cobden, Dunkeld, Nelson – I could go on – can see the dry and pastureless land. In many cases stock are in holding pens being manually fed fodder. Supplementary feed is in tight supply across the state.

Farmers are the backbone of our communities and our regional economies. What hurts them hurts everyone. Our local grain supplier companies are reporting to me the stress that their agents encounter when they visit farmers. The impact on wellbeing and mental health for farmers and our communities is concerning. I want to thank everyone who has called me and shared their experience.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Reset the clock. This is not a provocative members statement. I will reset it again if there is more yelling and we get through it without interruption.

Jacinta ERMACORA: I appreciate that; this is an important issue. Over the past few months I have been meeting with farmers across Western Victoria to hear about the drought. I have met with and heard from dairy farmers in the south-west and sheep and grain producers in the Grampians and Wimmera. I have also met with the UDV, the Victorian Farmers Federation and GrainGrowers Australia. In addition, I have met with small business owners and community groups, including last week in Halls Gap, Pomonal, Moyston, Mafeking and Willaura. Anyone driving through communities like Koroit, Simpson, Timboon, Orford, Cobden, Dunkeld, Nelson – I could go on – can see the dry and pastureless landscape. In many areas stock are in holding pens, manually fed grain and fodder. Supplementary feed is in tight supply across the entire state.

Farmers are the backbone of our communities and our regional economies. What hurts them hurts everyone. One local grain supply company has reported to me the stress of their agents when they encounter visits to farmers to negotiate prices. The impact on wellbeing and mental health for farmers and our communities is concerning. I want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences and concerns with me, and I want to assure all my constituents in western and south-western Victoria that I have heard them and I will continue to advocate for them.