Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. In the seat of Capricornia, she more than most knows the problems that come about through hardship. I commend the member for Capricornia on the work that she did during the cyclones and the compassion she showed for the people in her area, along with so many up there, including the member for Flynn, the member for Dawson and the member for Hinkler. There is so much that we are doing to assist people with drought. We are very alive to this issue. We have been since we have been here. We are aware that, in Queensland, about 80 per cent of the state is in drought.

It is on the back of that that we came forward with a package to deal with the epicentre of the drought. We have 20 shires that will be receiving $35 million as part of a stimulus package directed to those shires. As well as that we have $25.8 million to assist with pest management, predominantly wild dogs, and this is a real problem in those areas, so that we can get the place populated again with sheep. That is a big employer. Especially people who might have been associated with the AWU would think that would be a good idea, to try and support their members—and their members are supporting other people nowadays.

Also, we have $20 million for mental health to try and help there, because we know that is what happens when people get into a position where they are under the pump and they are isolated. They sit in the house and just dwell. We have to make sure that we get them out and get them up and running again. We have put money on the table to fund an extra 10 rural financial counsellors. We extended for one year the concessional loans scheme, which was supposed to finish on 30 June. We have extended that for a further 12 months, with a quarter of a billion dollars—$250 million—at the lowest rate, at 3.21 per cent, with terms as long as 10 years.

These are the sorts of things that you do when you take people on the land seriously, when you are truly trying to help. In the forward estimates there is $498 million—nearly half a billion dollars—for farm household allowance, a direct payment to maintain the dignity of people in their lives, to make sure that they can pay for the groceries, pay for the fuel, pay for the chemist. These are the actions of a government that cares. These are the actions of a government that has foresight. I am very proud of the fact that during this drought I believe that the Prime Minister of Australia has been out there three times. That is a sign that we care, right to the very top, about people right out on the very edge.

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