Doorstop in South Australia

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
MOUNT COMPASS
WEDNESDAY, 28 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Visit to South Australia; Albanese Labor Government’s $1 billion rural support and drought resilience programs.

JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: So it’s terrific to be here in Mount Compass, and I want to thank Robert and his neighbours Michael and Ben and Chelsea who have come to have a chat to me today about the impact of drought and what it’s having on South Australian farmers.

I did meet with the grain producers of South Australia during the election campaign and I was in Western Victoria late last year in relation to the drought that’s impacting parts of Australia. So it’s terrific to be here on farm in South Australia today and tomorrow talking to primary producers and farmers about the impact.

I’m also pleased to announce that we have $36 million from the Future Drought Fund for the Communities Program. That will be distributed across the country, and obviously we will listen to the evidence of the experts about how that money will be distributed. But we have also, of course, announced $800,000 for rural financial counselling, additional money particularly for South Australia and Victoria.

JOURNALIST: On that $36 million, is that new money or is that what was announced in January as part of the overall drought funding?

COLLINS: So obviously the Future Drought Fund, there’s more than $519 million in there and so this is in addition to the $1 billion that we’ve already spent in terms of rural and drought assistance that we have had since we’ve come to government.

JOURNALIST: So does that mean different totals?

COLLINS: That’s money, 36 million from the Budget.

JOURNALIST: Okay. And in terms of the $800,000, is that additional money or is that also what was budgeted for?

COLLINS: So this is additional money. It was part of a contingency, and I have made a decision to get that money out the door quickly because of the impact that is happening now in South Australia and Victoria. So it’s additional money for the rural financial counselling services in Victoria and South Australia.

JOURNALIST: These farmers are obviously really struggling. Is $800,000 really enough to be helping them in this time?

COLLINS: Well, this is money that we’ve been able to get out really quickly. What I am here to do today and tomorrow is to listen to farmers and to listen to the impact and to talk to the state government as well about the state government drought assistance and about how we can work together and what we need to do. This is about listening today and tomorrow to farmers on the ground about the impact of drought.

We obviously also have available other assistance that is ongoing in terms of the Regional Investment Corporation, in terms of the managed farm deposit scheme, in terms of the Farm Household Assistance for farmers who have been impacted. Here in South Australia over 800 farmers are accessing the farm household assistance, so we also have, as I said, over $900 million is in the farm managed deposit scheme and we have over $300 million for the Regional Investment Corporation loan scheme.

JOURNALIST: Some of the things we’ve heard is the red tape surrounding that farm household allowance. Would you consider any way of making that easier for people to access in terms of, you know, the means income test and things like that?

COLLINS: Well, we’re obviously here to listen, as I said, to farmers about the support that’s available and what additional support the state government is providing and about how those two supports are interacting. I’m here to listen over the next few days. I’ve made an announcement of the additional $36 million and that 800,000, and I have been asked by the Prime Minister to report back on my discussions I have in the coming two days.

JOURNALIST: Where are you planning to visit? What farmers are you planning to visit?

COLLINS: Well, I’m here on a dairy farm today. I’m also doing a livestock and grain farm today. I’m doing another farm tomorrow, and I’m in Adelaide with the Premier and the Minister, Clare Scriven, to talk to primary producers in Adelaide tomorrow morning. So across the whole two days I will be here for two entire days listening to farmers and engaging as much as I can.

JOURNALIST: What sort of things are you hearing?

COLLINS: Well, I'm hearing concern about ensuring that people are able to maintain their workforce on farm. I’m hearing stories about how intergenerational farmers want to say on farm and about the impact of it. I’m hearing about some issues to do with some of the lending practices from some of our financial institutions. So I’m here to listen.

JOURNALIST: What has Rob told you about his farm?

COLLINS: Rob’s told me about some of the innovations that he’s been doing on his farm and he’s talked to me about some of the recent rain and the green drought and some of the impact. He’s also spoken to me about the benefits of irrigation long term on some of the farms. So we’ve been talking about innovation. We’ve been talking about renewable energy. We’ve been talking about a whole range of topics today.

JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about fodder at all in South Australia and across the country? It’s something we’ve heard from Rob and from other people that it feels like there’s not a lot around in SA it’s tough to get it interstate. What happens if it runs out?

COLLINS: Well, certainly we are hearing that. And obviously we’ve had natural disasters in Queensland earlier in the year. I’ve been up in Ingham. I was up in Charleville after their floods. We’ve obviously had floods in New South Wales now as well. We have drought in Victoria and South Australia. So clearly fodder and access to be able to get to fodder has been an issue across the country.

JOURNALIST: What are some of the plans in relation to fixing that problem, then?

COLLINS: Well, we’re obviously engaging about what solutions are available. And clearly here in South Australia they’ve had some funding in terms of transport of fodder to get it to South Australia. So we’ll continue to listen and we’ll continue to look at the evidence around what is available and how we get it to people.

JOURNALIST: With the farm household allowance the asset limits seem to be a bit restrictive and there's calls to review the $5.5 million limit. Is that something that will be discussed at the upcoming roundtables?

COLLINS: Well, certainly I think that there’s a bit of confusion around the farm household allowance and the upper limit. This is a net five and a half million dollars; it’s not a gross five and a half million dollars. And there’s some guidance and advice on my department’s website. So I actually appreciate the opportunity to communicate that to people. A lot of people self-exclude from actually accessing it. What we know is from the people that apply, very few people are actually ineligible for it. So I’d encourage people to talk to their accountants but also to go on the department website to have a look at the advice and guidance around the farm household allowance.

JOURNALIST: With net, though, obviously headers are a million bucks, seeders are half a million dollars. Farms, intergenerational farms that have been handed down are millions and millions of dollars. It’s only about 10 per cent, I think, of SA’s farmers are actually eligible for those – for the allowance.

COLLINS: We currently have over 800 farmers in South Australia accessing the allowance. As I said, I’m here to listen. We do have support available through the federal government. The way that we fund drought in Australia changed fundamentally a long time ago and it’s about resilience and it’s about assistance being available all the time. And that’s what we are working on. And that’s what I’m talking to people about.

JOURNALIST: So there’s more immediate assistance needing to pay bills and the like. Is there any new packages, not when it comes to rural financial counselling, but any sort of more immediate assistance that’s not going to be tied up in red tape?

COLLINS: Well, we’re obviously, as I said, here listening. I’ve been asked to report back about the discussions that I’m having with farmers. We’re always ready to listen. But what I would say is, as I’ve said, there is that assistance available now today and that assistance has been available the whole time when it comes to the Regional Investment Corporation and the farm household allowance and the farm managed deposit scheme.

JOURNALIST: And when it comes to visiting farmers, how far are you sort of heading out? Are you going out to the regions? Obviously it’s a bit greener here, which isn’t a real gauge of how it looks out in the regions. Are you travelling further than just the city?

COLLINS: I am, indeed, travelling further out. And I’ll be, I think, visiting three different farms over the two days as well as meeting with a lot of farmers and primary producers who are coming into Adelaide tomorrow morning.

JOURNALIST: I’ve got one more, sorry. With the roundtable, so that’s tomorrow and visiting farmers. Is there anything else on your agenda while you’re here?

COLLINS: Well, obviously I’m engaging also with the South Australian government. I’ve had discussions with them prior to the election and, indeed, since the election about how it’s going on the ground. And certainly your Minister has been very active, Minister Clare Scriven, in making sure that I’m kept up to date of the situation here in South Australia. I’m obviously also making sure that I’m across the weather reports and how things are going in terms of the drought and drought conditions across the country.

JOURNALIST: What year has the Future Drought Fund been extended to?

COLLINS: So the funding that I’ve announced today is until 2028. So this is additional funding, the 36 million. But the Future Drought Fund is over a very long period of time. I think off the top of my head – I’d need to check it – but I think it’s 10 years.

JOURNALIST: Thanks.