Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

From the catcalling that I am hearing from the opposition, it is obvious that some people do not take this seriously. There are people in regional Australia who are struggling as a result of the drought, and it is important that we deliver services to them. The drought bus initiative is doing that. It is taking to the bush the sorts of services we take for granted in the city, such as Centrelink, Medicare and counselling; and the take-up is very encouraging. We have nearly 100 staff processing drought applications, and more staff will be made available if required. They are doing a great job. They have travelled around 30,000 kilometres so far, visiting around 160 towns in drought-affected areas of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. That gives you some idea of the geographic footprint of these drought buses.

This initiative is bringing to regional Australia services which are essential not only to rural producers but also to businesses which are dependent on farmers—who are, in turn, suffering from the drought we are experiencing across this country. This is a serious and important initiative, and I congratulate the officers concerned in delivering it to regional Australia. They are working tirelessly across a range of areas to ensure that those people in regional Australia are not forgotten.