NO RULES ON HANDOUT OF $330,000,
13.07.1989
By: KOCH A
replace all and pointers pls A FORMER top public servant said yesterday he had been staggered there were no guidelines for drought assistance to Queensland grazing companies, some of which got up to $330,000 in a year.
Retired Primary Industries Department deputy director-general Mr Bryan Woolcock told the parliamentary public accounts committee there had been no statutory basis for paying such large sums.
""There was no Act of Parliament they were working to, no written objectives or guidelines,'' he said.
Mr Woolcock also told the committee, which is investigating abuse and misuse of drought aid, that a Minister and a former Minister had sought and won from Cabinet special consideration for shires seeking drought status.
He said the present Primary Industries Minister, Mr Harper, had put an oral submission to Cabinet gaining drought status for shires although guidelines had not been met.
This meant graziers in the shires _ including one in Mr Harper's electorate of Auburn _ were able to claim concessional drought assistance.
Mr Woolcock said a former Minister had successfully put an oral submission for a shire in his electorate to be drought-declared even though this was outside his portfolio's responsibilities.
The committee chairman, Mr Alison (NP, Maryborough), made Mr Woolcock name the former Minister. He said it was former Water Resources Minister Mr Neville Hewitt, Mr Harper's precedessor in Auburn.
Yesterday was the first day of public hearing by the committee, which was established this year.
The main witness was former Drought Secretariat manager Mr Dan Daly, who said he had been moved from his position by Mr Harper after a memo he distributed to stock inspectors was leaked.
The memo spelt out anomalies in the drought aid system and warned inspectors to be vigilant.
Mr Daly, 57, yesterday said he would probably retire because he had been transferred against his will to a new section of the department, which he had served since 1954.
Mr Daly said drought subsidies were open to abuse under the present system and advocated they be replaced by a system of low-interest loans for people in need, allocated on a means-tested basis.
He said Mr Harper had overruled Drought Secretariat recommendations at least three or four times to allow subsidies to be paid to certain graziers.
Asked if, in such circumstances, he had complained to the Minister, Mr Daly said: ""No, it would achieve nothing''.
[Mr Harper has previously said that in such instances he was ""exercising ministerial discretion''.] Mr Daly said graziers who had claims rejected by DPI staff often ""pulled strings'' with politicians.
He said 16 percent of claimants for drought aid got 76 percent of the subsidies.
Mr Daly questioned if it was proper for funds to be paid without means testing.
Mr Alison said the committee would hold another one-day public hearing early next month and he expected to be able to complete his report by the end of next month.
Bushie's pithy talk, Page 2;
