Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The government is providing extensive disaster relief to support communities across north-west Queensland affected by the recent monsoonal deluge. This support includes a $300 million commitment to support farmers to restock, replant and replace on-farm infrastructure and financial relief to individuals, families, communities and councils, such as the $75,000 payment to primary producers to assist with the clean-up of debris, salvaging crops, repairing plant equipment and the burial of carcasses. We've also delivered $1 million to 11 impacted regional councils to help them provide a range of local measures to ratepayers. This is in addition to the immediate support provided by the ADF to coordinate delivery of 43 tonnes of fodder and 42,000 litres of jet fuel. Any suggestion that producers failed to protect and care for their livestock in this natural disaster is plainly wrong. Graziers have been working tirelessly through a relentless drought to care for their herds and are now left utterly devastated and distraught by losing most if not all of their cattle.