Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Furner for his question. Today in Ipswich the Prime Minister unveiled the Queensland support package to provide additional targeted assistance to those hardest hit by the Australia Day flood. We are standing with Queensland to assist the communities, small businesses, primary producers and their families who have been the most impacted and need that extra little bit of support to get back on their feet.

We have already rolled out significant assistance in categories A, B, C and some D measures, and today we are also announcing extra assistance which builds on our track record of helping Queensland, just as we did through the 2010-11 floods and Cyclone Yasi, where we provided $6 billion worth of assistance. Today's package supports local businesses and local economies. We are investing in clean-up and recovery programs and industry recovery offices to get our farmers back into production as soon as possible. We are investing in the Rural Financial Counselling Service and Small Business Advisory Services to make sure primary producers and small businesses can access good advice and financial planning to help them on the road to recovery. We are providing concessional loans and grants to help primary producers and businesses to repair damage caused by the flooding. We are also helping communities that have been truly hit for six. We will deliver tailored recovery packages for community wellbeing in Bundaberg and North Burnett, including mental health and social gatherings so communities can heal. For the environment we are supporting programs like Reef Rescue and natural resource management groups to clear waterways and reduce run-off. We are also backing our local councils and their workers that will be patching up roads and doing the reconstruction work. (Time expired)