Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to report to the House following a visit by the Prime Minister to my electorate of Farrer in order to familiarise himself with the effect of the drought on rural New South Wales, and in particular the effect on general security irrigators in the Murray Valley. The drought is not an issue that has just appeared for our farmers. Many of them have not had a good season in four or five years. Some have been lucky enough—and I use that term loosely—to have this dry spell broken with one good harvest.

One of the things that is biting particularly hard is that irrigators are having water allocations cut, even where they have already paid for the water. To have life-giving water taken away, in some cases less than a week after paying for it, would have to be one of the cruellest things the New South Wales government could do to farmers who are desperate to secure their livelihoods and their futures. This government would not be so callous to farmers and has in fact been far more generous with previous assistance and the new range of measures announced in the past fortnight.

As I said, it was fantastic to welcome the Prime Minister to my electorate last Friday to meet and greet farmers, communities and small businesses at the coalface of this drought. The visit took in a farm between Finley and Tocumwal belonging to Eric Dudley. I thank him and his family and those who gathered there on that day for their efforts. I also thank those who came to listen to the Prime Minister at the Finley RSL club and who spoke to him so passionately about how they feel about their communities, their families and their futures. We did not think an Australian Prime Minister had visited Finley before—and I certainly do not believe that, if they had, it would have been at such desperate times for rural people.

We stood in a bare paddock on the edge of an irrigation channel—which, if the situation does not improve soon, could well be dry by the middle of January. We looked at what would be a rice paddock beyond, except there certainly is no rice being grown there at the moment, on a zero water allocation. In fact, we were surrounded by paddocks that look like any paddock does in 13-inch rainfall country in the middle of January. We were able to explain to the PM that this mixed farming property would normally have pasture two feet high with something eating it. There was a cold wind blowing, dust in the middle distance, and I do not think there was any greater demonstration of why irrigated agriculture, driven by the magnificent Snowy Mountains scheme, matters so much to this country. I was reminded of Henry Lawson’s poem Borderland, published in 1892. I will quote a short verse:

I am back from up the country—up the country where I went

Seeking for the Southern poets’ land whereon to pitch my tent;

I have left a lot of broken idols out along the track, Burnt a lot of fancy verses—and I’m glad that I am back—

I believe the Southern poet’s dream will not be realised

Till the plains are irrigated and the land is humanised.

There certainly was humanity in the towns we visited. I know these farmers and small businesses appreciated the chance to hear the Prime Minister talk about what is being done to ease them through these tough times. But I know that the chance to have the ear of the Prime Minister, so to speak, was even more satisfying.

I am certain Mr Howard will have these rural voices ringing in his ears as a more comprehensive drought assistance package is developed, as will be required in the months ahead if we do not get rain. And we must not lose sight of the fact that it will rain again. Why, then, must certain groups and people use the drought as a stick to beat farmers over the head with? You rarely hear or read media reports praising farmers for the environmental work they do, whether it is planting trees and dealing with erosion through Landcare or the water efficiency gains made by irrigators. But, as soon as a dry paddock is flashed across the TV screen or a parched creek bed published in the paper, the usual suspects cry environmental vandalism and call for farming in Australia to be scaled back. This is utter nonsense. No other industry in this country relies more heavily on a stable environment than our agricultural industries. Sustainability to them is not just an abstract concept to discuss over a cappuccino; it is an ongoing part of their business enterprise—it is practised every day to ensure the ongoing viability of the farm.

Our farmers have been the first to embrace technological improvements and the latest breakthroughs in sustainable farming, as well as copping it on the chin as more and more restrictions are placed on them from bureaucrats who think they know the land better than the people who have been there for generations. What is most disappointing is that, more often than not, when someone lashes out at our farmers, they do not offer any kind of viable solution to the problem. Perhaps they could use this energy to come up with something other than the usual ‘get farmers off the land’ routine. This is a dry country and it always has been. But in the past there has been the will to complete projects such as the Snowy Mountains scheme and the Ord River scheme.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 9.30 pm, the debate is interrupted.