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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1553 asked in the Legislative Council on 4 December 2019 by Hon Jim Chown

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

DROUGHT — SOUTHERN RANGELANDS — FARMERS ACROSS BORDERS

1553. Hon JIM CHOWN to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:

There is an opportunity for donated fodder to be transported to regions of Western Australia such as the southern rangelands and other areas that have experienced protracted drought conditions that are likely to continue into mid-2020.

(1) Is the McGowan government prepared to adopt and implement a similar policy to the New South Wales government, by which there was subsidised transportation of donated fodder from community groups or other voluntary organisations?

(2) If not, why not?

Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:

I thank the member for the question.

(1)–(2) I recently met with Farmers Across Borders, and I recognise that they are highly motivated to reach out and provide some camaraderie and support to farmers who are going through dry conditions. Senior personnel from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development have contacted Farmers Across Borders to get some detail so we can really better understand the merit of the proposal, acknowledging that there is a social benefit, but looking at what the benefit will be in assisting to deal with these issues. We understand that we are probably largely dealing with a very low nutritional product, with a protein content of maybe around one per cent, so the value it might present to the animals may be limited. We want to look at the destinations that are being proposed and what the plan basically is. For example, a load of this straw might be taken to a property and it might provide some sustenance for a few days. The question is what assistance that provides other than the acknowledged mental health benefit that it may have. We are just trying to quantify that. We are also proposing to have some more discussions with the affected groups to see whether some other proposals might provide a bit more benefit. We acknowledge that Farmers Across Borders are well motivated, but I think we have to do a little bit more work on the degree to which this offers a practical solution.