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Four more Qld shires on drought list
27 Oct 2003
While stormy weather is causing havoc in south-eastern Queensland, four more shires have been declared drought-hit, taking the state's total to 95 shires. The north Queensland shires of Townsville, Burdekin, Hinchinbrook and Thuringowa have been drought-declared, which opens up the way for their primary producers to access State Government assistance. They will be eligible for freight subsidies for bringing in fodder and water, and returning stock from agistment, and similar activities. However, they will have to wait for the Federal Government to declare their properties drought-ridden to be eligible for Exceptional Circumstances assistance.
In addition to the 95 shires, four part-shires and 150 individual properties are also on Queensland's drought list.
In September 2003, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast that central and northern Queensland had a 60 to 70 per cent chance of above-median rain during the three months to the end of the year. But the Toowoomba-based Queensland Centre for Climate Applications is nowhere near as optimistic and says the chance of higher-than-median rainfall level is "relatively mediocre".
The Courier-Mail, 27/10/03, page 4.
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