Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, Senator McKenzie. Departmental officials told estimates on 21 October that Moira Shire met the rainfall threshold but missed the employment threshold by 0.1 per cent for the Drought Communities Program. Ten days later, Nationals MP for Nicholls, Damian Drum, announced that Minister Littleproud has used ministerial discretion to declare the shire eligible. Why did the people of Moira find out last night that they are in fact still not eligible?

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

I thank the senator for her question and for her interest in drought affected communities, and in regional Victoria in particular. The Drought Communities Program is an incredibly popular program, where $1 million is provided to over 122 councils across the country which are drought affected. It's been going for a couple of years and there have been three rounds thus far. It uses measurements such as rainfall and agricultural employment, amongst a raft of other measures, to determine eligibility. If councils are successful in attaining Drought Communities Program eligibility they can put forward projects to stimulate their local economy: anything from doing up the local hall to building a road. Some councils in South Australia have actually decided to employ drought support officers—yes, stimulating local employment but also making sure that that local community has a dedicated person to look after needs in the drought.

So it's been an incredibly popular program. We've expanded it, under our new drought response, to include an additional six councils—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Walsh on a point of order?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on relevance. The question was: why did the people of Moira find out last night that they are not eligible for this program?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the minister has provided some general context about the program and that she has 45 seconds remaining to come to the specifics of the question, as you've highlighted, Senator Walsh.

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

With respect to the specifics of the conversation and advice you're speaking about from last night, I'll have to take that on notice. I'll endeavour to do that—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They're not eligible!

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

I was not in the room, Senator Wong, through you, Mr President, to actually have an appreciation of that. But I think the Senate knows that when I say I'm going to get back to you I always do. The methodology, as I've outlined, takes into account agricultural employment and also rainfall data. It's an incredibly popular program. We gave those 122 councils who were already recipients of Drought Communities Program funding last week an additional amount of money— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, a supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nationals MP for Nicholls, Damian Drum, is quoted in today's Herald Sun as saying:

We were expecting a little bit of ministerial discretion. … I should have kept my mouth shut …

What advice was provided by the drought minister or his office to the member for Nicholls on or before 31 October to support his announcement?

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

Thank you very much, Senator, for your question. On the specifics of the advice provided by Minister Littleproud to Damian Drum, I'll take that on notice. But can I say that our drought announcement last week focused on frontline support for farmers, ensuring that those regional towns that are going to be so important for the recovery, once the rains do come, hold onto their local employment. It's seeing money stimulated through their hairdressers, their IGAs and their rural supply stores. This program is key to keeping them in town, their families in town and their kids in school because—

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We talked about this at estimates! You know all about it!

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

We're recognising this. That is why, last week, there was an additional component to the DCP. You might have missed it as you flicked through our drought announcement: $50 million for drought affected councils, which will be at the minister's discretion to use and appoint. I know Minister Littleproud is developing those guidelines as we speak.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, a final supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The mayor of Moira Shire said today:

You can't announce something and then not do it.

As the Morrison government has failed the people of Moira so badly, how can Australians have any confidence in your ability to support the nation through this drought?

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

Since the drought announcement on Thursday I've met with Northern Territory cattlemen in the Barkly, talking about their dry times. I've also been speaking to farmers in Victoria, in South Australia, in Queensland and in New South Wales. I've been on the ground in these communities for the last three days. I've been listening to them, acting and taking up the things they need to be done. That's what our government have done. We've actually talked to people. We actually know what these communities want to see. They want cash on the tables of our farmers. They want their regional towns supported through the drought so their rural supply stores and the skills sets are still there when the rain comes and we need to ramp up productivity. Our communities, such as Moira, Moyne, Kempsey—you name it—will be supported by our drought announcement, with 122 councils, plus another six and then 50 more using the ministerial discretion.