Today I join with my colleague, Labors Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Jenny Aitchison inslamming the Liberal and Nationals Government for cutting the role of Drought Coordinator in the midst of the worst drought in the states history.

As Jenny said,Just because it rained for five minutes doesnt mean the worst drought in NSW history is over!

As rural and regional towns run dry, it hasbeen revealed that Walcha farmer Jock Laurie, who was appointed less than a year ago to oversee the Berejiklian Governments drought response, has reportedly been sacked.



Mr Laurie was also the Land and Water Commissioner. Its understood his drought responsibilities will now fall under the separate position of Regional Town Water Supply Coordinator, which is held by James McTavish, who is the NSW Cross Border Commissioner.



Mr Laurie is a former President of the National Farmers Federation and his sacking has sparked expressions of shock and outrage in the media from the Dairy Industry, the CWA and NSW Farmers and even Barnaby Joyce.



Jenny said,After reports Mr Laurie stood against the Minister Adam Marshall for the seat of Northern Tablelands in 2013, it looks like the Agriculture Minister is more focused on bringing down his rival and playing party politics with publically-funded positions than helping people on the ground who are suffering in this extreme drought.

All drought-affected communities want is hope, not a constant parade of people appointed to positions with no transparency about what they have found, what they recommended and whether the Government will follow those recommendations, Ms Aitchison said.



The Government has been very secretive about how much the Drought Coordinator position has cost and what it has achieved. You cant build hope when people cant trust the Government to act for community.



Mr Lauries sacking follows shocking revelations during supplementary budget estimate hearings last week that uncovered dysfunction, delays and captains calls in agricultural appointments:


Neither the Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales or the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture attended supplementary budget estimates hearings and left it to the Departments Director General and two bureaucrats to answer questions from the Opposition on critical issues like drought relief; emergency water supplies to farmers, animal welfare in abattoirs and the governments disastrous $16 million fishing reforms.


The Agriculture Commissioner position, which was promised by the former Minister nearly 9 months ago, still isnt on the horizon, and the current Nationals Minister Adam Marshall still hasnt asked the Department to prepare a short-list for the role.


It appears Mr Marshall is going to make another captains call for the Agriculture Commissioner role as there have been no public invitations for interested people to submit expressions of Interest.


The bureaucrats also admitted that the states Dairy Advocate did not start until a month ago, despite being announced by the Government on 5 September 2019 21 days before his contract was signed.


The Commercial Fishers NSW Advisory Council hasnt met for nine months and currently has seven of its 13 positions vacant. Again the bureaucrats could not give a firm time for when these positions would be filled or the committee reconvened.


The Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council is also effectively defunct; and consists of 15 positions and apart from the Chair, all of those positions are currently vacant and have been since earlier this year.


I join with Jenny and my other Labor colleagues in their concern thatthe NSW government has no plan for the extreme crisis that is already being experienced in NSW, and which will only get worse over the next few months.