Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to highlight the enormous distress and ongoing frustration of farmers in my electorate of Farrer who have been rejected for modest financial assistance from the government to repair their properties after severe local flooding in March of this year. The crux of the problem here is the complex assessment procedures currently in place to release what are generally known as category C grants from the federal government. As it stands right now, a farmer can have one metre of water destroy assets on their property but will only receive federal assistance if a nearby town is also affected by floods. Fifty kilometres away, another farmer could have two metres of water destroy the property but will not receive the grant because the local town is not flooded. This is not just a problem in Farrer. My coalition colleagues in both the Riverina and across the border in Indi have also highlighted this issue.

I welcome recent acknowledgement by the federal Attorney-General and the New South Wales Premier that there is a problem. But I would ask that these words of comfort become real actions to fix what is a ridiculous anomaly which has beset hundreds of hardworking farmers across southern New South Wales. I do appreciate the expression by the Attorney-General soon after the floods when she admitted that the complex state-federal joint assessment process is not working and could be tidied up. May I reassure her and let her know that, as local members, we stand ready to assist with that consultation and rebuilding process.