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Drought assistance up for review
4 Mar 2008
While there have been welcome rain falls in parts of the country, more than two-thirds of agricultural land remains in drought. Farmers are urging the government to wait until the recovery begins before starting a review of drought assistance payments which will total more than $1 billion from federal coffers this financial year. The government is also questioning the effectiveness of Farm Management Deposits which grew by $2.5 billion at the same time as a rapid increase in the level of drought assistance. National Farmers Federation chief executive, Ben Fargher, said that the reason that the money has not been spent yet is that some producers have been in virtual lock-down so have not been able to use the funds but hopefully the recent rains will encourage investment in crops. Around 10 per cent of farmers have received exceptional circumstances funding for between three and six consecutive years.
The Australian Financial Review, 4/3/2008
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