Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a contribution on the Farm Household Support Amendment (Relief Measures) Bill (No. 1) 2020. I'm speaking for Senator Rice, who as we know isn't here today and is our agriculture portfolio holder. This bill removes the business income reconciliation process—whereby farm household allowance recipients' income estimates would be checked against their tax returns and full financial statements in order to verify their eligibility for the FHA for them to receive the correct payment amount—and removes the legislated time limit for FHA claimants to complete their farm finance assessment, which is an eligibility requirement for FHA. The current limit is 28 days, with extensions of a further 28 days granted in some circumstances. A time limit will still apply, but it will be determined on an individual basis.

As we meet here in this place, we aren't even 100 days into the new year, but we have already experienced the horrific tragedy of this summer's bushfires and now, of course, the unfolding of the coronavirus pandemic—millions of hectares burnt, millions of animals dead and dozens of people killed. And again we send our condolences to their families. That's what's unfolded this bushfire season. It has been a fire season unlike any we have seen before, with damage across the country. There is a climate emergency playing out in front of our eyes. In any other year, we would have had a chance to mourn, to grieve and to begin to come to terms with the tragedy that unfolded earlier this year. But, tragically, the bushfires had barely passed before we were faced with the new crisis: COVID-19, a global pandemic that has already infected hundreds of thousands of people and claimed many, many lives. The Director-General of the World Health Organization has called it the defining global health crisis of our time. For our farmers, these crises come on top of another challenge: drought. Some farmers have experienced the driest stretches on record in recent years. Drought can devastate crops, livestock and every aspect of a farm's operation. Farmers have struggled to keep their farms afloat in incredibly challenging circumstances. It's good today to see at least some small steps being taken to support farmers, and this bill does two things, as I've just articulated. We support these changes and we hope that they provide some support to farmers, some of whom have fought a drought, a bushfire season and are now facing such a new, massive threat.

Today is about so much more than responding to drought, however. We'd like to quote again from the Director-General of the World Health Organization:

The days, weeks and months ahead will be a test of our resolve, a test of our trust in science, and a test of solidarity.

Crises like this tend to bring out the best and worst in humanity.

How we respond to this crisis defines who we are as a community, and the decisions we take now in the midst of a crisis are a real test of what we value and who we will fight for when it is hardest. We've all seen the concerns in the news about people hoarding things that others are desperate for. If your only response in a crisis is to think about how you can benefit yourself then that's a shame. We've seen the heartwarming stories too of people overcoming their fear to care for their neighbours and those around them. We've made food drops and provided support to the vulnerable, which is truly showing their resilience, courage and compassion in the midst of this crisis. This bill, of course, particularly relates to the issues around the farm household allowance. As people articulated, our farmers will be playing a critical role in supplying food to this nation, and we thank them for that and support them. The Greens support this bill.