Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Our government recognises that farming in Australia is a long game and that governments can't make it rain. But what matters at the moment is that some of our farmers can't put food on their own table, which is ironic, because they're putting food on everyone else's table and clothes on our back. Supporting them in times of hardship is exactly what's needed to help our farmers and their communities through these difficult times, and supporting our drought-affected farmers and communities remains our government's No. 1 priority, which is why we have committed over $7 billion in programs. The wealth of our entire nation is generated across regional Australia, so it's not just these communities that are doing it tough. It's estimated that up to $12 billion will be the hit to our national economy because of the drought. Our farmers feed people across Australia as well as millions across the world. I and the rest of the government welcome bipartisan support for drought measures, particularly around the farm household allowance. I hope that continues.