Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Watt. Minister, as you're very well aware, the Liberals and Nationals, in government, made a commitment to the residents of Lismore that the entire $150 million allocation from the 2022-23 Emergency Response Fund would be directed to Lismore for its rebuilding and flood mitigation efforts. Do you intend to stand by this commitment?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The short answer is yes. Thank you, Senator, for the question. The good thing about answering the question quickly is that you can spend the next one minute and 50 seconds talking about other things—related things.

Senator Davey, I know that you have a genuine interest in the people of Lismore and the Northern Rivers. I think you've been there since your appointment as the shadow minister, as have I and, most recently, Senator Sheldon, the new Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, appointed by the Prime Minister to ensure that communities who are experiencing disaster recovery are getting the support that they need.

In fact, Senator Sheldon was in Lismore just last week—on Friday, I believe it was—announcing additional support for the Northern Rivers in the form of around $50 million to support commercial landlords with grants. The importance of that, as Senator Sheldon so eloquently put it in the press conference that he undertook in Lismore, is that there are many small businesses who are located in commercial premises, and those small businesses are not able to reopen yet because the commercial landlords have not been able to afford to repair their properties. So that assistance, which is contributed to by the New South Wales government, will assist not just the landlords but the small businesses as well. Again, can I thank Senator Sheldon for the work that he's been doing there.

But the money that Senator Davey is talking about, of course, comes from the infamous Emergency Response Fund—remember that one? The Emergency Response Fund was set up by the government over three years ago with $4 billion in it. It accrued the former government over $800 million in interest, did not build a single disaster mitigation project, did not spend a cent on disaster recovery. It took the devastating floods we saw in the Northern Rivers and Queensland for any announcements to be made. And which government is going to deliver on them? The Albanese Labor government.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Davey, first supplementary.

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. I always appreciate a quick answer and I appreciate you being so succinct. Yes, Lismore, you get $150 million in this financial year. The Prime Minister recently announced $75 million of funding from the Emergency Response Fund to be spread across 62 local government areas in New South Wales. Can you confirm that this money is from the 2021-22 pool?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Another short answer: yes, I can. Just to assist Senator Davey, the previous question was about the allocation of $150 million from the unused Emergency Response Fund for 2022-23, and that money will be used for the Northern Rivers—not just Lismore, but for the Northern Rivers. The money that you're talking about there, the $75 million, came from the 2021-22 allocation from the Emergency Response Fund, and, as Senator McKenzie would know because I think she was involved in making the announcement as the then minister, the remaining $75 million from the 2021-22 allocation will be spent in Queensland, assisting them to recover from their floods. So it's $150 million for each of those two financial years. The first of those two years is being split between Queensland and New South Wales, and that will be spent in New South Wales across the whole state because, of course, there were other areas that experienced floods too.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Davey, second supplementary.

Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): As I now understand it, you have just confirmed that the announcement made by the Prime Minister at the bush summit, claiming $75 million was new money for the people of Lismore, was in fact the same money as announced by the Liberals and Nationals in government in March this year, reannounced by yourself in June this year, and now announced for a third time by the Prime Minister. What message have you got to the people of Lismore who keep— (Time expired)

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President.

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Let's just give the minister a chance to answer before we start the disorderly interjections. Minister.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The message, Senator Davey, that I have for the people of Lismore is that they finally have a federal government who will actually deliver for them. They have a government that shows up, unlike the former government. Certain people from our opposition, as it was at the time, were in Lismore shortly after the floods, and we will deliver.

I do need to just correct one thing I said before: the funding that Senator Sheldon announced was $30 million for commercial landlords, as opposed to $50 million, so just to correct the record there. There's so much support that we're putting in, it's sometimes hard to remember exactly how much. There's so much money being put in, which is very much deserved.

The announcement the Prime Minister made in Griffith the other day was to announce how the money would be spent. We have worked with the New South Wales government collaboratively, something that the previous Liberal and National federal government was unable to do with a Liberal and National government, and we're now getting on with delivering the money. (Time expired)