Mr BALDWIN - 1994-08-24
Attention has been focused recently on the plight of drought-stricken farmers in Queensland and New South Wales. In light of this, what is the current status of central Australia as a drought affected area?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, much has been heard in recent times of the drought conditions affecting Queensland and New South Wales. This situation was highlighted recently by the tour of inspection of those areas by a Senator for the Northern Territory, Bob Collins, who is the federal Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, during the course of which he announced a $14m assistance package for those areas. I commend the federal government for its provision of that assistance. However, drought unfortunately has been a fact of life much closer to home for many Northern Territory pastoralists.
At this moment, 11 pastoral properties in the Territory are in official drought status and are eligible for drought assistance under the Northern Territory scheme - that is, they have suffered one or more consecutive years of declared drought. Some of these properties are as badly off as the properties in Queensland. Some properties in the Territory have suffered under drought conditions now for more than 4 or 5 years. In addition to those properties, a further 13 to the north-east of Alice Springs and 2 in the eastern Barkly have applied to be officially declared droughted even though they are still in the first year of severe dry conditions.
Because of the official definition of 'drought' which can attract assistance under the Territory government's Drought Assistance Scheme, the numbers of affected properties vary as patchy rainfall falls throughout the area. In some years, they may well be in drought while the following year, as they receive some rain, their drought status changes but the next year they are dry again. Many properties south of Alice Springs have been dry since the last good falls of rain in February 1989. As a result, a total of 28 properties were officially declared droughted last year under the criteria that makes them eligible for drought assistance. Of those, 26 are located to the south and west of Alice Springs.
There was an encouraging start to the 1993-94 summer season which brought relief to some properties, but the conditions remained dry overall. For instance, in the Barkly Tablelands, we had a bumper season in 1993 but the rains have failed this year. As I said previously, the result is that 11 properties remain in 2 or more years of declared drought, whilst 3 properties - Deep Well, Mt Doreen and Undoolya - are in their fifth year of drought conditions, and another 6 are in their fourth year and are currently being further assessed. 13 properties to the north-east of Alice Springs and 2 in the eastern Barkly Tablelands are being inspected currently in response to applications for drought declaration. In response to those applications, assistance will not follow immediately as the properties now under inspection are in their first year of drought. However, the inspection results and continued dry conditions may well see them assisted in the next year's program.
The fact that only 2 properties on the eastern Barkly Tablelands have applied for drought assistance does not mean that everything is rosy in that region. It has more to do with the Northern Territory Drought Assistance Scheme which excludes major corporate pastoral holdings from receiving assistance. The level of family-owned properties on the Barkly Tablelands is reflected in the fact that only those 2 applications have been made at this time.
There was a report in the NT News on 18 August 1994 that gave a good indication of the severe dry conditions being experienced by large sections of the Northern Territory
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pastoral industry. However, the headline writers tended to pull out the most dramatic quotes collected by the reporter in assembling their story, and the subsequent headline read: 'Dry Spell Worst in 60 Years'. Clearly, this 'dry spell' is not as bad as the drought of the 1960s and the early 1970s and the inclusion of the Barkly Tablelands in that story was somewhat misleading. Notwithstanding that criticism, as Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, I welcome the fact that city-based news media are interested in stories concerning the bush and the pastoral industry. I am sure that the pastoral industry also appreciates that level of interest.
The core of the article was accurate and some of our own producers in central Australia are facing Queensland-style drought conditions. They are being assisted by a combination of drought assistance measures by the Territory government and, where applicable, the Rural Adjustment Scheme. The Northern Territory scheme takes the form of a choice between very concessional annual loans of up to $50 000 per property or freight assistance for destocking and agistment. My department is offering all the advice and assistance that it is able to. However, as was highlighted on Media Watch last Monday, rain is the only solution to drought.
I would like to pay tribute to the central Australian pastoralists and their very professional management techniques that have not been learnt from books in recent times. It stems from a history that they have had from generation to generation. Their good management practices enable them to survive these drought conditions and to bounce back following drought stronger than ever.
While I was in Alice Springs recently, it was pointed out to me that one way in which they might drought-proof their properties is by the better management of their camel populations. Camels do not compete with cattle for feed. They are top-feeders which means that they feed off the shrubbery whereas, generally speaking, cattle feed off the grass. As a result, the productivity of a property can be improved on with camels, without affecting the property's ability to carry its base stock of cattle. Among a number of Alice Springs pastoralists, there is now considerable interest in the better management of the camel herd with a view to drought-proofing their properties. To conclude, the Northern Territory is in the grip of drought. I am getting dry, but I am sure that we will come through it as we always have in the past.
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Page 67
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, much has been heard in recent times of the drought conditions affecting Queensland and New South Wales. This situation was highlighted recently by the tour of inspection of those areas by a Senator for the Northern Territory, Bob Collins, who is the federal Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, during the course of which he announced a $14m assistance package for those areas. I commend the federal government for its provision of that assistance. However, drought unfortunately has been a fact of life much closer to home for many Northern Territory pastoralists.
At this moment, 11 pastoral properties in the Territory are in official drought status and are eligible for drought assistance under the Northern Territory scheme - that is, they have suffered one or more consecutive years of declared drought. Some of these properties are as badly off as the properties in Queensland. Some properties in the Territory have suffered under drought conditions now for more than 4 or 5 years. In addition to those properties, a further 13 to the north-east of Alice Springs and 2 in the eastern Barkly have applied to be officially declared droughted even though they are still in the first year of severe dry conditions.
Because of the official definition of 'drought' which can attract assistance under the Territory government's Drought Assistance Scheme, the numbers of affected properties vary as patchy rainfall falls throughout the area. In some years, they may well be in drought while the following year, as they receive some rain, their drought status changes but the next year they are dry again. Many properties south of Alice Springs have been dry since the last good falls of rain in February 1989. As a result, a total of 28 properties were officially declared droughted last year under the criteria that makes them eligible for drought assistance. Of those, 26 are located to the south and west of Alice Springs.
There was an encouraging start to the 1993-94 summer season which brought relief to some properties, but the conditions remained dry overall. For instance, in the Barkly Tablelands, we had a bumper season in 1993 but the rains have failed this year. As I said previously, the result is that 11 properties remain in 2 or more years of declared drought, whilst 3 properties - Deep Well, Mt Doreen and Undoolya - are in their fifth year of drought conditions, and another 6 are in their fourth year and are currently being further assessed. 13 properties to the north-east of Alice Springs and 2 in the eastern Barkly Tablelands are being inspected currently in response to applications for drought declaration. In response to those applications, assistance will not follow immediately as the properties now under inspection are in their first year of drought. However, the inspection results and continued dry conditions may well see them assisted in the next year's program.
The fact that only 2 properties on the eastern Barkly Tablelands have applied for drought assistance does not mean that everything is rosy in that region. It has more to do with the Northern Territory Drought Assistance Scheme which excludes major corporate pastoral holdings from receiving assistance. The level of family-owned properties on the Barkly Tablelands is reflected in the fact that only those 2 applications have been made at this time.
There was a report in the NT News on 18 August 1994 that gave a good indication of the severe dry conditions being experienced by large sections of the Northern Territory
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pastoral industry. However, the headline writers tended to pull out the most dramatic quotes collected by the reporter in assembling their story, and the subsequent headline read: 'Dry Spell Worst in 60 Years'. Clearly, this 'dry spell' is not as bad as the drought of the 1960s and the early 1970s and the inclusion of the Barkly Tablelands in that story was somewhat misleading. Notwithstanding that criticism, as Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, I welcome the fact that city-based news media are interested in stories concerning the bush and the pastoral industry. I am sure that the pastoral industry also appreciates that level of interest.
The core of the article was accurate and some of our own producers in central Australia are facing Queensland-style drought conditions. They are being assisted by a combination of drought assistance measures by the Territory government and, where applicable, the Rural Adjustment Scheme. The Northern Territory scheme takes the form of a choice between very concessional annual loans of up to $50 000 per property or freight assistance for destocking and agistment. My department is offering all the advice and assistance that it is able to. However, as was highlighted on Media Watch last Monday, rain is the only solution to drought.
I would like to pay tribute to the central Australian pastoralists and their very professional management techniques that have not been learnt from books in recent times. It stems from a history that they have had from generation to generation. Their good management practices enable them to survive these drought conditions and to bounce back following drought stronger than ever.
While I was in Alice Springs recently, it was pointed out to me that one way in which they might drought-proof their properties is by the better management of their camel populations. Camels do not compete with cattle for feed. They are top-feeders which means that they feed off the shrubbery whereas, generally speaking, cattle feed off the grass. As a result, the productivity of a property can be improved on with camels, without affecting the property's ability to carry its base stock of cattle. Among a number of Alice Springs pastoralists, there is now considerable interest in the better management of the camel herd with a view to drought-proofing their properties. To conclude, the Northern Territory is in the grip of drought. I am getting dry, but I am sure that we will come through it as we always have in the past.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016