David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, the member for Hunter. This payment is to go towards household expenses. As you would know and all Australians would know, household expenses are constant, and splitting this into two payments in essence six months apart means that we're able to give that extra payment at two different times of the year. But it also needs to be acknowledged that the fortnightly payment will continue in between so there is continuity of payment as we continue to move through this. This is about making sure that we are able to address the household expenses. The government's responsibility through the intergovernmental agreement on drought with the states is around human welfare. It's not around animal welfare. It's not about fodder and freight. This is about the daily expenses of our farmers, and they are spread out across the year. So in that essence, the government made the decision that there should be two lump sums paid over a different period, that will complement the up to $538.80 a fortnight a family could receive in one payment. So this is about making sure that we understand that these are constant expenses, not one single expense.

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