Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment. It has been six months since the equine influenza epidemic broke out in Australia and crippled the equine industry and associated businesses, particularly in the Hawkesbury, which is located in my electorate of Greenway. This highly contagious, virulent disease spread to the Hawkesbury, and the entire region was quarantined and, as I speak today, is still classified as being in the purple zone.

When the outbreak first occurred, I met with Brian Fletcher from the Hawkesbury Race Club to discuss, and come to some understanding about, the significant impact of the outbreak on the community and what we, as the then government, could do to assist. I attended a meeting where I was able to speak and listen to the challenges faced by horse owners, staff and people with equine related businesses. It was at this meeting that I heard the challenges they would face for a significant length of time.

I then spoke extensively with the then minister for agriculture, the Hon. Peter McGauran, and discussed with him the challenges and financial hardships being faced. I was very pleased when the coalition government announced last year the $110 million to assist the equine industry, which was in addition to $4 million previously announced. The package included a wage supplement, a business assistance grant, the Commercial Horse Assistance Payment and grants for non-government and not-for-profit equestrian organisations. I welcome the new Australian government’s announcement last week that it would extend this financial assistance, particularly CHAPs, the commercial payments assisting horse owners.

Equine influenza has affected many people, including horse owners, breeders, transport companies, local supply shops, local catering businesses and stable hands, to name a few. Last week I met with representatives of the Arabian Horse Society of Australia, who are based in my electorate of Greenway, and I listened to the challenges that their members will face for up to two years. In an impact study conducted by the Australian Horse Industry Council, to which 2,721 people responded, it was estimated that they, as a collective group, experienced losses of up to $3.6 billion between August and December 2007. The impact study also showed that 33 per cent of respondents believe that their current financial hardship will, regardless of whether the zones are lifted, go well beyond August this year. I urge the Australian government to acknowledge the challenges and hardships faced by the equine industry and to continue to provide financial assistance to those who will require ongoing assistance. The alternative, if assistance is not given, is that many individual family businesses will not be operating. In many instances these businesses have been running for generations. (Time expired)