June 16, 2016
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce dropped into Kingaroy this week to announce an extra $100,000 for rural financial counselling services in southern Queensland, and to fly the flag for LNP candidate for Maranoa David Littleproud at the upcoming Federal election.
Mr Joyce said the $100,000 was on top of the more than $66 million being put towards the Rural Financial Counselling Service over this year and the next three years.
He said the latest grant meant counsellors could be retained whose funding would have otherwise expired on June 30.
“If we can help keep our farmers, agricultural and rural small businesses ticking over with the extra advice and support from an experienced financial counsellor who knows their region and the issues they face, then it’s a great outcome,” he said.
Mr Joyce said the funding for the counselling service was on top of other Federal Government assistance to drought-affected farmers, including more than $100 million in Farm Household Allowance payments, $438 million in concessional loans to businesses, and cutting the interest rate on drought recovery loans to 2.66 per cent.
He said this was his second trip to campaign with Mr Littleproud in Maranoa, which is considered one of the safest Coalition electorates in the country.
However, Mr Joyce said there was no such thing anymore as a “safe seat”.
“Every vote will be fought for and every inch of this ground will be covered,” he said.
He said he was looking forward to Mr Littleproud being part of the Nationals team in Canberra as Maranoa needed strong representation.
“Should David win he will have a massive electorate with massive responsibilities and massive projects to undertake,” he said.
Mr Joyce said it was great to be back in Kingaroy, recalling that he used to live in Cowie Drive and had played for the South Burnett Thrashers rugby union team.
“One of the most unremarkable parts of my football career,” he joked.
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Mr Joyce speaks to southburnett.com.au about the voluntary ban on live cattle exports to Vietnam, and the Japanese ban on live cattle imports due to positive BJD tests:
