Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

While on the subject of drought, can I ask a couple of questions also about EC and the EC declarations. I welcome, in a general sense, the announcements made by the minister at 4.30 pm at the beginning of the long weekend prior to these declarations expiring. Let me express the view that, firstly, it would have been better if the announcements were made at least a couple of weeks earlier so that farmers could plan. Secondly, and more particularly, it would have avoided this business where you had Centrelink doing its job correctly, ringing up people to say that their benefits were going to end because that was the only advice that it would have had, when of course most of the people who were rung, in the end, had nothing to worry about. The reality was that their benefits were extended. I think when announcements are left so late it puts people under unnecessary stress. As there are a whole stack of additional announcements that are going to have to be made on exceptional circumstances for expiries in September, I appeal to you to make the announcements a month earlier than occurred in this case.

Whilst also on the subject of drought, can I also ask about the $20,000 grant made available to people in irrigation areas that have been declared for EC. My advice is that some of these people have been waiting for many, many months for their grants to be provided. I would have thought that this process was well established, that the government had agreed to continue these grants to irrigation farmers who are affected by EC, but it seems that the money is not flowing. I ask the minister to use his good influences to make sure that the farmers who are entitled to receive grants for infrastructure upgrading works et cetera on their properties do get them quite quickly.

I now switch quickly to another subject—and the minister may wish to respond to a number of these questions together—in relation to the future of the SeaNet scheme. SeaNet funding ends on 30 June. It has been in place, I understand, for decades. It has been an excellent cooperative partnership between the industry and the government. I understand that they have had to give notice to their staff that their positions will terminate on 30 June. Frankly, I am somewhat surprised that the government would not be proposing to continue to fund an organisation of this merit. They have done fantastic work in developing things like turtle extruder devices and bycatch programs, providing excellent liaison between the industry, in a whole range of environmental areas, and the department. I understand that this industry-government partnership, although sometimes the fishermen felt it was a bit of an intrusion in their lives, did provide an opportunity for them to work constructively with those who have environmental concerns about fisheries for the best interests of the sectors.

As a side point, I understand the government is spending $380,000 on a rollout of the national system for the prevention and management of marine pest incursions, which, critically, involves, SeaNet. Indeed, all the brochures printed have SeaNet’s name all over them, so it would seem rather strange to prepare a campaign built around SeaNet and then not fund the organisation itself.

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