Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. What further action has the government taken to support farmers and regional communities and businesses in the grip of drought? Prime Minister, what are the risks and what is at stake if the government cannot support our entire country because of a slowing economy or poor budget management?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Barker for his question. I was pleased to be out at Murray Bridge with him just on the weekend, visiting with a wonderful small family business producing tomatoes with hydroponics. They have been making a huge investment in their future and for their family's future. We are all about small family businesses, so to be able to back them in with lower taxes, the instant asset write-off and all of the other taxation based support that enables those businesses get in and make investments to provide for their future and employ Australians, I think, is a tremendous credit to them.

The National Drought Summit will be held on 26 October, bringing together people from all around the country to ensure that we better coordinate efforts—including the special envoy, including the ministers—and to ensure we are properly coordinating our response, including the situation update and program update that will be provided by Major General Stephen Day, the Coordinator-General for Drought.

The government has already provided $1.8 billion in additional support to drought-affected farmers and communities. Importantly, that includes the announcement we made which gives a million dollars to every single drought-affected council and shire across the country, ensuring that those towns are able to work their way through the drought.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear the heckles of those opposite. I don't know why they're opposed to us supporting councils with additional funds so they can employ people locally and keep the money in the town, but that's our policy.

I was also asked about other things we're doing to support the work that is being done by farmers to get the fruit off the vine as we go into the harvest season. We said there are three things we are going to do. First of all we want the agricultural producers to log their job requirements with the official service which registers this, which is, of course, the National Harvest Labour Information Service—1800062332. You can do it online as well. We need to know where the jobs are, when they start and how much they pay so we can get Australians into those jobs. If Australians won't do those jobs then they'll be in breach of their social security requirements.

Australians should not be collecting the dole when there is work available for them on farms in Australia. Where there are shortages we will make sure that the Pacific Labour Scheme and the Seasonal Worker Program, with our Pacific island partners, fill the gap. On top of that, for the next harvest the backpacker visa arrangements will be modified to ensure we can fill that gap. We have a plan to ensure we get the fruit off the vine during the harvest. The Labor Party wants people to turn up and pick up the dole even when they're not working and there's work available.