ON-FARM EMERGENCY WATER
INFRASTRUCTURE REBATE SCHEME
792. Mr
P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Water:
I have a supplementary question. I support
getting that money straight out. I am asking the minister whether he will
commit, with the government's $1.2 billion surplus, to matching the
federal funding for the next phase of the program. He has been asking us to
talk to our federal ministers. We have talked to them, and they have come back
with this scenario. Will the minister commit to it?
Mr D.J.
KELLY replied:
As I said to the member, as soon as I
got that letter from Minister Pitt, I responded within a couple of days. I put
to him what I think is a very reasonable proposition for matching funding. I would
value the member's support of that. Let us get that money out the door
rather than mess around with revising criteria and waiting until the end of
October. Let us just get that money out the door. I look forward to the member
for Roe's support for that proposal rather than it being delayed any
further.