Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne. Can the minister please advise the Senate how the government and, more specifically, her department are supporting drought affected farmers?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank Senator Ruston for her question, particularly given her background in horticulture. I know that she appreciates the magnitude of the problem that Australian farmers are facing. The coalition of course understands the plight of drought affected farmers, and the package that was announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture is directed at addressing that.

Assisting in the most effective delivery of the package, the Department of Human Services has two mobile service centres, the Kangaroo Paw and the Desert Pea, which are visiting communities in northern New South Wales and Queensland over the next few weeks to help farmers test their eligibility for the Interim Farm Household Allowance.

In fact, on Tuesday morning I went to Uralla, in the New England district, to visit the mobile service centre called the Desert Pea. The staff who are on board those centres have extensive experience in rural servicing. They really understand the needs of people living in rural and regional communities. I particularly want to commend those staff, who, following the announcement of the drought package, have diverted from their previous program. I want to thank them for the kilometres and kilometres they do in the trucks. I thank the social workers for the work that they do, which is incredibly important in times of crisis like this. The customer service officers and the regional financial counsellors also play a very important role. The people they are helping are in serious crisis and some of them are in great distress.

I met a fifth-generation farmer and his wife. The farmer's father still lives on their property. He is now over 80 years of age. His father says that he has never seen things this bad before. We now have something that looks a bit like a green drought. But it is completely misleading. The rains are really a bit of a mirage. The farmers are still buying feed. The dams are still completely depleted and it will take a lot more positive weather before we can say that we have made real progress in the drought. The package itself is most certainly directed at assisting those most in need. (Time expired)

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask the minister whether she could further outline the specifics of the financial assistance packages that are being provided by her department to eligible farmers?

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tell us about the Blue Mountains and the promises you made up there.

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

Order! Senator Cameron, the minister is entitled to be heard in silence.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Unlike Senator Cameron and some of the others opposite we believe that Australia's struggling farmers, some of whom are being pushed to the absolute brink, should be treated with respect, not with contempt. We have introduced the Interim Farm Household Allowance for farm families that are struggling to survive in this drought. It is supposed to meet basic household needs—

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The minister has reflected on Labor senators and on me, in particular. The point I was making is that this minister makes promises when she goes around the country and they are unfulfilled.

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

Order! That is not a point of order; it is a debating matter that can be debated later.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sure those who know Senator Cameron will draw their own conclusions. To be eligible for payment, farmers have to meet both the income test and the assets test. But the government has reviewed the assets test to ensure that those who really need financial support have it available to them. Farmers can hold farm assets of up to $2.55 million. In comparison, the total farm net assets for the transitional farm family payment—the previous payment—was below $1.5 million. The family house and up to two hectares of surrounding land can be excluded from the assets test. (Time expired)

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for her answers and for her interest in a very important part of Australia, and I ask a further supplementary question. Could the minister further inform the Senate of any other assistance her department is providing to help these farmers, who have been hit so severely by drought?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for her question. As senators will know, drought can have particularly significant impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, their families and their communities. So from 1 April my department will have designated drought coordinators who will be travelling specifically to drought affected areas, meeting with service providers, attending community meetings and supporting events to ensure that we have linked-up service delivery to assist those who need it most, to put them together with those who can actually help. Of course, there will also be the drought buses, which will bring my department's services to farmers' doorsteps. The staff on board those buses are brilliant: they can help farmers complete and lodge their claims, and they can refer people to other community support organisations for further assistance. I met people doing that sort of work in Uralla on Tuesday. The difference they are able to make to the lives of farmers suffering in this drought at the moment is not inconsequential; it is very significant, and they do a very important job.