-1 AUSTRALIA
Pg_-3 6V 3^ ST ER
FOR PRESS 3HA SEPTEMBER 19
3YB SEPTEMBER 23
ELECTORAL TALK
The drought now affecting the rural community in many parts
of Australia is emerging as one of Australia's. biggest
farming problems.
Across the rich agricultural and pastoral areas of Australia
the severe drought conditions are daily growing more important.
In Victoria for instance, very large parts of the State are
affected by the drought, while in South Australia all of the
local government authority areas are severely affected.
In Western Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania there are
also serious problems.
The prolonged and widespread drought has caused considerable
and direct hardship to thousands of Australian families on
the land. It is also certainly having a flow-on effect in
cities in all states where food prices have moved up and some
produces are in short supply.
The Gover-e-t has recognized the hardship the drought has
caused to Australia's beef and dairy industries in particular.
It has conpcun. ded the already difficult positions of dairymen
and cattle-en.
The Government has moved quickly to assist.
For a long time the Commonwealth has been involved in supporting
the drought relief measures of the states.
The principal of Commonwealth support has been traditionally
in the transport subsidy of fodder or stock to or from drought
areas, and in concessional loans for needy producers from the
states where finance is not otherwise available.
Early this month the Government announced that this relief would
be taken a step further. We decided to underwrite the costs of
carting water to drought areas to ensure the survival of stock.
This is a new form of assistance. It has been welcomed by farmers.
Additionally, the Government has decided to provide up to one
dollar a head for cattle and up to 15 cents a head for sheep
to state and local government authorities involved in the
slaughter and disposal of unsaleable stock in drought areas. / 2
2.
More importantly perhaps, the Government has also decided
to allow eligible producers a slaughter compensation of up
to $ 10 a head for cattle.
As recently announced by Ian Sinclair, Minister for Primary
Industry, the Government has also set up a Standing Committee
of Comonwealth public servants to monitor the current
drought situation.
Other measures are under examination including support for the
purchase of feed grains.
This Committee will examine the efficiency of drought assistance
measures and also report to the Government on other avenues
of further assistance.
There is no question that these four Government initiatives
alone will go a significant way in helping farmers through
an extraordinarily difficult time.
Possible Government support for the purchase of feed grains
as I have indicated is oneof the areas being looked at.
The Government has also shown a commonsense and flexible
attitude to the way in which finance is provided to state
governments to administer these programmes.
In Victoria for instance, the Commonwealth has suggested
that an alternative method of finance could be considered
as that S-ate's support was not expected to reach the required
level of basic expenditure.
There has for many years been a base amount which the states
would s-end and then all programmes would be fully financed
by the Ccmcrwealth after the states had reached that basic
expendi-t-re am-ount.
In Victoria's case the basic expenditure was $ 3 million.
Any dollar ever and above that sum would be totally provided by
the Comnon-eal th.
There was some criticism of this traditional approach from
Victoria and from New South Wales and therefore I offered an
alternative to the states if they want to pick it up and
that is that we would match dollar for dollar total expenditure
from the very first dollar that was spent. I have not yet
heard whether the states would prefer that alternative approach.
The Govern-ent has shown it's concern for the plight of the rural
community i: n many ways. Our initiatives on drought relief
measures are an example of our continuing recognition of the
importance of Australia's rural community. They are also a
recognition of the damage being done to that community by drought.
This evening I also want to mention the recently announced
Government decision to set up an enquiry into the relationship
between education and training.
The comirtee of enquiry will look at the whole field of post
secondary education. It will also look at the broader problem
of the relationship between education and the labour market.
The Government is particularly concerned that education become
relevant to a person's later life. It is concerned that the
resources devoted to education should be used to maximum effect
and that unneces'sary duplication be avoided.
This enquiry the first of its kind for more than 10 years
will take a medium and long term view of all the implications
of our changing structure of education and retraining programmes.
The Government believes that education opportunities should be
widespread. We believe that greater education and occupational
choices should be provided. We also strongly believe that
community participation in education should be encouraged and
standards raised.
It is against this background that the committee will conduct
its research.
This enquiry will probably be the most important and far-reaching
in this field ever established in this country. It will be
a wide ranging and significant enquiry that will benefit
Australians for many years in the future.