Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Here we have the former Minister for Primary Industries and Energy in the Keating government saying he would like to shred it now. There must be consultation with industry, with the wheat growers whose industry it is, during this period, and I would like to think it could be concluded before 30 June next year. The Grains Council of Australia commented today that they would like to see it concluded within the next three months. I do not want to put that sort of pressure on growers as we go into the holiday period, and it may be difficult to get a lot of feedback during this next six to eight weeks, but we must give time to growers and we must hear from growers because it is their industry that we are dealing with.

In a season my electorate of Maranoa produces probably 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the wheat that is grown in Queensland—that is, when there is a season other than the worst drought in 100 years, which they are dealing with out there now. My electorate has also proudly produced three of the last four chairmen of the Australian Wheat Board. My electorate’s wheat growers will not be receiving a wheat cheque this year. There are a few who have chanced rain and have delivered some wheat, but overwhelmingly the Queensland crop is probably the worst on record.

The drought bus has been in my electorate for the last two days and I spoke to the staff on it today when it was in Ballon. They are getting a tremendous response as they travel around. In St George, where they were yesterday, there was no wheat delivered. Forty-five people turned up for the drought bus, and only two of them were people in receipt of EC payments. That is a demonstration of how, when you take the services to people to help them in this exceptional drought, this sort of interest from people will come forward because they are so remote from that face to face service. When I spoke to the staff at three o’clock this afternoon, in the small town of Ballon, 15 people had turned up. That is an example of the need for this service to travel out into those communities.

In conclusion, I thank Minister Joe Hockey for that initiative, and I know that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who is at the table, was supportive of it and pushed very hard for it. I am sure he is very heartened to hear of the sort of support that is happening. I spoke to the staff on the bus this afternoon. I think they were having a bit of a problem dealing with the heat in western Queensland, but they are appreciating the opportunity to hear firsthand from small business and the farmers. In two days, they have had at least 70 people turn up, the majority of whom have not received any EC payments in the past and are new to them and wanting to know what they would be eligible for. I support the legislation before the House and look forward to working with my electorate’s growers to bring feedback to the government during the next six months.

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