Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to indicate that Centre Alliance will be supporting farmers and will be supporting the Future Drought Fund Bill 2019. However, we will at the committee stage be moving an amendment, which has been circulated, that relates to membership of the committee, making sure that membership is reflective of the various areas affected, or that could be affected, by drought. We are doing that because we want to ensure that drought is considered within a national context and that there is not a disproportionate focus on one region affected by the drought.

As the committee provides advice to the minister for drought regarding the design and programs funded under the funding plan, it is vital, in our view, that the committee is balanced, not only in terms of gender, knowledge and skills but also in respect of the regions members come from. We don't want a situation where an appointment to a committee involves four Queenslanders or four South Australians or four New South Welshmen. We just want to make sure that it's balanced and that any recommendations would come with a national lens attached. We think that will improve the bill and we'll be supporting the bill.