Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. Minister, Family First is very concerned that the Gippsland farmers are disadvantaged by falling water levels in the Latrobe aquifer, mainly due to offshore oil drilling and nearby coalmining. The farmers have been pinning all their hopes on a report commissioned by the federal government to calculate a figure for compensation. Individual farmers have spent as much as $150,000 each in lowering their bores to survive and have been waiting for more than 10 years for action from the previous government. Minister, this report was promised for release by June last year. When will this report be finalised and when will the government compensate farmers for their losses?