Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are some here on both sides who know about Australia's incredible, fertile and abundant land. But drought is a horrible cycle, and people on the land know it well. Those of us who are actually from regional Australia do talk about the millennium drought and the droughts of 1900, 1930 and the 1960s. This is not the first drought that we've been through, and drought doesn't just affect people in the regions. It not only dries up creeks, rivers, crops and paddocks; it dries up hope. Regional and rural towns suffer. The shops struggle and people move away, leaving local councils battling to pay for essential services. In the cities, food and fibre don't make it to the processing plants and the shops, which costs jobs. Thankfully, good times do return. Drought doesn't just affect specific regions; it affects us all, which is why this Morrison government is rolling up its sleeves and doing what needs to be done to improve drought resilience.

The Future Drought Fund is designed to draw down $100 million a year, in good times and bad times, to invest in important resilience projects that will keep food not only on farmers' tables but on everyone's tables and will keep money pumping through small rural communities and regional cities. Establishing this fund is more proof that the Liberal Nationals are the only people looking out for regional and rural Australia. The money will be used to support investment in research and innovation, research extension, the adoption of new technology, improved environmental and natural resource management, infrastructure and community initiatives. These objectives are all crucial to bolstering the future of our regions. This kind of resilience must also be supported by the state and local governments and by private enterprise. I implore them to support what we're trying to do with this fund, because helping regional and rural communities better withstand tough times benefits us all.

I want to give assurance to those on the other side that this program is important. It's important because it gives certainty. It gives certainty to people who are most affected by drought to start planning projects, to improve water efficiency and to be more resilient for when the good times return. It is important for them to know that there is ongoing funding and that this is not just one round that will disappear if they've missed out.

The other thing that's important is that, if we pass this bill tonight, government must be seen to move quickly and provide certainty to people. Previous speakers have spoken about what bush people want and about them feeling abandoned. They're not feeling abandoned by this government; they're feeling abandoned by naysayers and people who think they shouldn't be out growing food and fibre on our land. This program will tackle the climate change issues that have been raised by previous speakers.

In Queensland we know how to manage mining. We have very strong regulations and we've been doing it for nearly 200 years. In my experience working in the Queensland government a few years ago, there were some great advances, particularly around the globe, which provided great scientific measurement and transparency of water table measurements. It is now a requirement—and this was introduced under Andrew Cripps, when he was the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines—for mining companies to provide watertable measurements from bores around their property. So it is just not true that people are taking unlimited water with no consequence. There is great transparency in water measurement in Queensland.

The Great Artesian Basin is an important asset and is one that, as graziers and farmers, we all rely upon. But, again, this program will allow us to introduce more measures to have transparency and good water use. The delay in passing this legislation has already cost $76 million, and I think that there is not a moment to be lost. I would close by urging us to pass this as soon as we possibly can.

(Quorum formed)