Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have a couple of questions for the agriculture minister. I have been in this place for going on eight years. I would like to compliment the minister. On budget night, the Treasurer mentioned agriculture quite a few times. I acknowledge the minister's influence in those decisions to put agriculture once again at the centre of the government's priorities. In the previous six budgets that I sat through, I did not hear agriculture mentioned once. The shadow minister is not present in the chamber, but I admit that he is showing some interest in agriculture. It is rather unusual for someone in the Labor Party to show that interest. His predecessors were somewhat embarrassed to have the agriculture portfolio and they did everything they could do to get out of it. When Mr Burke was the minister, he decided we would no longer have 'droughts'—we would have 'periods of dryness'—and we would no longer need a policy for drought. So I commend the minister, who has come into the portfolio in the midst of the worst drought in history, for the work that he has done.

In the north-west part of my electorate of Parkes, the drought is biting very hard. We are going into our fourth year of drought. Just today and yesterday, as we had a magnificent rainfall event go through northern New South Wales and Queensland, the bizarre happened again: it skipped over the Walgett Shire. While Bourke, to the west, got 50 millimetres and Moree, to the east, got 50 millimetres, Walgett get itself got 15 millimetres—and with no subsoil moisture, there is no real relief. I acknowledge the work that you have done, Minister, and the visits that you and the Prime Minister and the Treasurer have made to my electorate to speak to those farmers.

One of the issues in those areas is that the ability of farmers to diversify has been somewhat limited. With over 30 years of farming experience myself, I happen to know that one of the quickest ways to generate a dollar is through the running of sheep. Cattle are running very hot at the moment—over $3 a kilo for weaners—but, from my experience, the quick way to generate a dollar coming out of a drought is through sheep. But in northern New South Wales, Queensland and other parts of Australia wild dogs are a huge problem. In some parts, not only has this prohibited the running of sheep but there are widespread reports that wild dogs are now taking down calves. This is having an enormous effect. As we come out of drought, the ability of farmers to get back on their feet, I believe, would be greatly enhanced if there were a control mechanism for wild dogs. I understand there is work being done. So one of the questions I would like to ask the minister is if he might update me and others present on what the policy will be on wild dogs.

The irony also is that as rain is falling in other parts—we have seen some magnificent rainfall across the eastern states—much of it is running out to sea. I would like to ask the minister about where he is with his dams white paper and what sort of thing we might expect from the minister and from this government with regard to dams. We are having a huge problem. The Parkes electorate covers 25 per cent of the Murray-Darling Basin, and all the rivers in my electorate at the moment are looking at zero allocation. I know that the best investment that you can put into a town in my electorate is a megalitre of water. There is no other thing that you can put in that generates more of a multiplier effect than a megalitre of water.

So there you are, Minister: a couple of questions, one on wild dogs and the other one on where we are with our dams policy.

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