Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (13:47): Over the weekend we saw a bit of precipitation up north. As much as this is welcome, this will not be easing the pressure on our farmers. Currently there are bales of hay being baled and loaded onto trucks and restocking those long-empty hay sheds. Sowing will also be underway for summer crops, but with the high cost of water many crops will not be sown due to the fact that the returns will not exceed the input. This is an opportunity missed by our government to prove to our regional communities that they matter – that their contribution to the economy is a huge benefit to this state. How? This Labor government could be assisting drought-stricken farmers more. This government could also ease their stress by stopping the approval of renewable projects in the heart of their communities. But no, instead our farming communities are in the midst of harvest during a dry spell and also fighting this government tirelessly, trying to be heard on their opposition to these renewable projects. Poor form, government, poor form.