STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY
875. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
(1) What assistance is being offered
by the WA state government to strawberry growers in WA?
(2) What actions
has the minister taken to ensure support being offered by the federal
government comes to Western Australia?
(3) Has the
minister asked the federal Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources to come
to WA to see the depth of the crisis facing WA growers?
Hon DARREN
WEST replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. On behalf of the Minister for Agriculture and
Food, I give the following answer.
(1) The Premier
has announced a $100 000 reward for anyone with information that would assist
police with their investigations into the needle sabotage. The Department of
Primary Industries and Regional Development is working closely with the state's
peak industry body, the Strawberry Growers Association of Western Australia, to
determine what requirements and assistance the industry needs.
(2)–(3) The
minister has written to Hon David Littleproud, the federal Minister for
Agriculture and Water Resources, outlining the impact on Western Australian
strawberry growers, and requesting details and administrative arrangements for
the $1 million of commonwealth government funding announced yesterday. The
minister has offered DPIRD resources to support engagement with the industry in
WA and to facilitate access to funding.