Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

We know that the regions are the true wealth-producing areas of Australia. Agriculture contributes more than $64 billion to our economy and employs more than 1.8 million Australians. We're making practical and commonsense changes to cut red tape and make it simpler for farmers and small businesses to get on with running their operations. We've reduced the farm household allowance application form by one-third to make it easier for farmers to understand the eligibility criteria and to apply through a rural counsellor. We've made it easier for truckies to increase their capacity to deliver precious fodder to drought-affected areas. Longer and higher loads of hay and fodder are now allowed to travel on state-controlled and nationally controlled roads without truckies having to apply for multiple permits. That will achieve a saving of 54,000 days per year in processing wait times. We'll continue to work with small businesses, local government and communities for a sustainable return to prosperity post drought.