Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

One of the things that I'm somewhat confused about here is that I was of the impression that the address-in-reply actually outlined the government's agenda. So I would think that there would be nothing more important for this place to be doing than actually replying to the Governor—

Senator Wong interjecting—

It's interesting that Senator Wong is interjecting here about it taking three years to reply last time, and I remember the other side being highly critical of the length of time that it took for us to get the address-in-reply responded to and back to the Governor. Standing here, I can remember when I first came into this place. I was lucky enough to be the person who led off on the address-in-reply, and I remember thinking that that was something that was tremendously important for me to do. And I must admit that I was actually quite looking forward to hearing Senator Carr's contribution this afternoon on his address-in-reply and what he thought of the government's agenda—the one that he says that we don't actually have.

The other thing that I thought was quite extraordinary in the comments from Senator Carr was when he said the government was elected on a lie. I just wonder whether, Senator Carr, you're suggesting the Australian public is stupid for electing this government. This government was elected because we went to the people. We listened to the people. We didn't stay here in Canberra and listen to what was going on inside the Canberra bubble. We actually went out there and we talked to the people out there and asked them what it was they wanted. And one of the very, very important groups of people that we spoke to were the farmers.

I'd just like to point out that the matter of this debate tonight is because of what's going on in the other house in relation to our drought fund. Can I tell you that one of the greatest priorities of the Morrison government is to look after our famers. They are doing it really, really tough at the moment. I come from rural and regional South Australia. I don't know how many of you come from rural and regional areas in the states that you represent, but can I tell you that our farmers are absolutely at their wits' end at the moment. To think that this place is holding up making a decision on providing the kind of support and surety that they need to feel comfortable that their government is responding!

You might talk about two years. Let's talk about everything that's happened to date. This government—the Morrison government—has a fantastic track record in responding to the issues that our farmers have been suffering in drought. Drought and floods—you may muck around here and pretend they don't matter, but I can assure you that to every single person who lives outside the capital cities and finds themselves in trouble the response of the Morrison government is something that they really, really appreciate.

The simple question to those opposite is: are you going to support our farmers? Are you going to let this piece of legislation through, or are we going to continue to talk about the excuses for why you're not prepared to support our farmers in the Drought Future Fund? You need to get out there and you need to go and tell the farmers of Australia that you are mucking around in here with their futures, with their livelihoods, with their sanity, with their mental health. You're okay doing that. Mucking around in here doing that on some sort of spurious thing, and then suggesting that the government's agenda and the address-in-reply is somehow not an important thing for this place to be debating tonight, is really quite an interesting concept.

The arrogance of those over there who think that this is an okay thing to be playing around with tonight is an absolute shame. This Drought Future Fund is absolutely important to give our farmers the tools that they need and the confidence and the strength to know that their government actually cares about the absolutely harrowing time that they're going through at the moment. I'd like to know tonight, before we finish this debate, are those opposite going to guarantee that this bill is going to turn up into this place this week? I've got to tell you, I don't want to go home and tell my farming friends that this place mucked around this week and didn't do what it needed to do to help them and to build resilience into the rural and regional economies.

The value of rural and regional communities is tremendously important. For us to be sitting here is just another example of you on the other side living in the Canberra bubble and not listening to the people who are on the other side.