Senator SCHACHT(9.00 p.m.) —I want to make a few brief remarks.

Senator Campbell —Farmers' friend.

Senator SCHACHT —Yes, the farmers' friend. Thank you very much, Senator Campbell. I grew up on a dairy farm and my family sent their milk to the local cooperative, which ultimately became one of the biggest coopera tives in Victoria from merges with other cooperatives.

Everyone has understood—Senator Woodley has more than adequately explained this—the role of rural cooperatives. If we had proposed this change in the last 13 years of the Labor government, imagine what the cocky corner over there would have been doing—the National Party and rural members like Senator Panizza. They would have been screaming their heads off and saying that this was typical of a Labor government with no understanding of the bush.

Where are their voices now? They look very embarrassed. What is this measure doing? I understand it is saving about $6 million all up.

Senator Short —Equity and fairness.

Senator SCHACHT —A cooperative is about equity and sharing so that ordinary small farmers can have an advantage by having a chance to be in control of their own marketing operation. That is what it is about, Senator Short. That is equity and fairness.

Again this government, particularly this Treasurer (Mr Costello), is all about helping the big end of town—the big manufacturers, the big companies, the Nestle company. That is what he is on about. He will give them an infrastructure bond, but he will not give $6 million to rural cooperatives around Australia.

As I say, this is an astonishing move and there is embarrassed silence from the National Party. The old style Country Party under John McEwen would have burnt parliament down first, Ronnie, before he would have copped this.

Senator Woodley —Good old Black Jack!

Senator SCHACHT —The old Black Jack would have been in here, threatening the coalition and pulling it apart if he saw his constituency being treated in this way by a city-based slick lawyer who happens to be the Treasurer of Australia and who could not give a damn about anybody west of Kew in Melbourne. That is what is at odds on here.

Some slick adviser in the Treasury department said to him, `Here is a way we can sort out something. We will have a go at this.' If Treasury, who would not know a farm unless it fell on top of them, had put this idea up to us, we would have chucked it in the bin. The new naive Treasurer turns up and they sucker him in.

The former Assistant Treasurer shouted out to me before that this is an equity measure. That is how Treasury convinced them—the former Assistant Treasurer. He said that to take $6 million off rural cooperatives around Australia is an equity measure. I tell Senator Short that we are going to have a great old time around the bush in the next few months saying that the former Assistant Treasurer, who was at the ERC table when this measure was decided, believes that taking $6 million off rural cooperatives is equity. They might say that he got his comeuppance, he is no longer Assistant Treasurer.

Senator Ferguson —You got yours. You are over there now, instead of here.

Senator SCHACHT —Senator Ferguson, you come from the bush. Why are you not standing up defending rural cooperatives here for a measly $6 million? We will have a great old time on you, too, Senator Ferguson. I will see what they say in the Goodenia paper about you taking $6 million off the local rural cooperative.

Senator Ferguson —It would be a long time since you read it.

Senator SCHACHT —I read it regularly, because it happens to be where my in-laws come from. So I will be making more of this wonderful opportunity. I cannot believe this. If we had tried this little stunt, you would have been screaming your heads off to stop this. But, no, this new slick Treasurer, who has fallen for the three-card trick from his Treasury advisers, believes you can take $6 million off rural cooperatives.

We look forward to the vote. We look forward to seeing the National Party—this is your big chance, Senator Boswell—stand up and vote for their constituencies. Are you going to again be trampled on by this city slick Treasurer?