Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Ludwig. Minister, what consultation, if any, took place with Centrelink before the Prime Minister announced the extension of the drought exit package to the small block irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Scullion for his question in respect of the drought initiatives of the Rudd government. I may have to take this on notice but, in explaining the reasons, Senator Scullion may want to understand that Centrelink delivers on behalf of policy departments. So the respective policy department would undertake the development of the policy, deliver the relevant policy parameters to Centrelink to develop and then provide the service delivery through, in this instance, Centrelink. On that basis it is best that I take that on notice not only to check what consultation has in fact taken place with Centrelink but also to provide a whole answer to ensure that you get a full picture, which would include, in this instance, DAFF as the relevant policy department.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, thank you for that explanation about the interactions between the Department of Human Services and other departments. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given your inability—and I know you have taken some of it on notice—to explain exactly why Centrelink may not have had this information, isn’t this just another example of Labor announcing policy on the run to suit some sort of 24-hour news cycle? Will you guarantee that any interested persons calling Centrelink for information will actually get all the relevant information that they require?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As you know, recently the Australian government announced a new exit grant package for small block irrigators with fewer than 15 hectares, operating in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. If that is the import of your question I can certainly provide information about that. Grants will be available for eligible irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin. The objective of the small block irrigators exit grant package is to help small block irrigators—

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Now we have had the brief, I wonder whether the minister could use the remainder of his time to provide information on the consultation process between Centrelink and the policy-developing departments.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: Senator Scullion was not even addressing his own question, thereby trying to introduce a different question. There was no point of order. I ask that you rule it out and ask him to desist from mindless points of order designed to waste the Senate’s time.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: Senator Ludwig was struggling away, saying, ‘If the question is’ and then suggesting something which the question clearly was not. That is why Senator Scullion rose to his feet. Senator Ludwig was constructing another question on which he in fact did have a brief but was not answering the specific question that was asked by Senator Scullion. I would invite you, Mr President, to invite Senator Ludwig to be relevant to the question that was actually asked, not the one he hoped might have been asked.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. As you know, I cannot instruct a minister how to answer a question. I draw the minister’s attention to the question. Minister, you have 32 seconds in which to answer the question.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What that 32 seconds allows me to say is that the package comprises an irrigation exit grant of up to $150,000, up to $10,000 for advice and retraining and up to $10,000 for the removal of permanent plant and production related infrastructure. Under the program, irrigators with fewer than 15 hectares of land and more than 10 megalitres of water entitlements may be eligible for the package. Of course, irrigators will need to sell their water entitlements to the Australian government in order to be eligible for the package. More details about the package will be announced by the respective minister shortly. (Time expired)