John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

One hundred and eighty-two, for the benefit of the member for Lyons, who has an abiding interest in this bill. Not only was the Howard government way off the mark in terms of the reach of this policy, the applications process was so difficult that many in rural communities that are already doing it tough either gave up or did not know the scheme was there. So I ask again, and it is a legitimate question to put to the minister and the parliamentary secretary: how is the minister going to ensure that the system will work this time, given the abject failures last time? How did the Howard government get it so wrong? How could the farmers’ party, the National Party, stand by and allow this to happen?

These questions must be answered and they must be answered today. People wish to know where the minister’s evidence is that he has fixed the problem of those applications. Where is the evidence that this legislation will actually hit the mark? How has the minister addressed the definitional problems involved in the application process, including proving that 70 per cent of income derives from the farm business? What is ‘farm business’? These are definitional issues this bill has not addressed. These are issues the minister has not addressed, and I am asking the parliamentary secretary if she can address those today. The government must ensure that the application process for any assistance is uncomplicated and not tied up in red tape, to ensure that those eligible for assistance actually apply for assistance. Drought affected businesses deserve to receive a better go with drought relief than the Howard government provided last time around. I conclude where I began and I ask the minister and the parliamentary secretary to tell the House today how the government will ensure that the system will work this time, given the monumental and appalling failures last time.

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