Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I fundamentally reject that suggestion from Senator Hanson that the government has looked the other way. We have not looked the other way. As I mentioned in my first answer, the effects test that the government introduced was fought tooth and nail by Coles and Woolworths, who have teamed up with the Labor Party to try and stop it. Big business was all over there on that side of the chamber; the big telecommunication companies, the big banks, Coles and Woolworths were all opposed to that. It was over on this side that we stood up for small businesses and farmers of this country to strengthen our competition laws and get the effects test through, and that happened. It was one of the most significant changes to competition laws in this place for decades, and it's something that this government put in place. So that is fundamentally wrong.

In terms of the fodder storage, the government has allowed for immediate deduction depreciation on fodder storage for farmers, including dairy farmers. We are providing a substantial $1.8 billion worth of assistance to drought affected farmers, including the 600 dairy farmers I mentioned earlier as well.