Mr Drum:

I draw to the attention of the House the impact of three severe hail events in my electorate. The latest was, unfortunately, last Thursday, and the damage is still being assessed. It is fair to say that where the large hail fell it was a devastating and final blow for some fruit growers. The hail was large enough to smash through netting on some orchards.

There were previous hailstorms in September and December, but the hail was smaller and not as widespread in the first event. We now have some assessments on the damage, compiled by Fruit Growers Victoria. Average apple production on affected properties is 292,000 tons, average pear production on affected properties is 83,000 tons, and the total bin loss is over 200,000 bins. That adds up to a farmgate bin value of $385 million, and the assets lost are worth $79 million. It's a devastating blow for the fruit growers in my area, and there could be some ongoing damage from fruit trees failing to recover next year.

The previous coalition government introduced a hail netting subsidy program that has been well used and continues to be rolled out. I would encourage the government—and I have written to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry—to consider the continuation of that program so that more growers can put up hail nets to protect themselves against this horrific damage to not only their businesses but also the fruit we all love to eat.