South Australian farmers have expressed frustration at lengthy delays and barriers to access vital drought relief, with many still waiting for their original applications to be processed and others ineligible for key measures.
A week after the latest round of drought funding was announced, there is scant information about how farmers impacted by the worst drought in a generation can apply for relief and it’s becoming clear that many will miss out.
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia said this has all the hallmarks of a Labor Government that goes for the headline first and help later.
“Farmers are sceptical about how helpful the package will be because, sadly, they’ve seen this all before - big promises and headline dollar amounts, that lead to heavy red-tape and lengthy delays in accessing support,” Mr Tarzia said.
“The Government is giving farmers false hope, by announcing that help is on the way, but not having the necessary resources and processes in place to be able to get funding to those who desperately need it, when they need it.
“Some farmers have been waiting months for their applications to be assessed from the last round of funding and many simply cannot afford even more delays.
“The Government should have made sure they had the correct process in place before they made their big announcement so our farmers could receive support when they most need it.”
Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti also shared concerns that only a small percentage of producers could be eligible for State Government fee relief as part of the latest drought support package.
In particular, rebates for the Emergency Services Levy and Vehicle Registration are only applicable for primary producers receiving the Commonwealth’s Farm Household Allowance (FHA), with the latest data from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry showing there are only around 820 recipients of the allowance in South Australia.
“Limiting the ESL and Registration Rebates to recipients of the FHA means most farms in the state, no matter how badly they have been impacted by the current drought, will miss out on this vital hip-pocket relief,” Dr Centofanti said.
“This is crucial and immediate relief that would ease pressure on many families, yet with 9,000 farming businesses in South Australia it’s likely that most will not be able to access this assistance.
“We are calling on the Government to remove this restriction to allow primary producers to apply for the ESL and Vehicle Registration Rebate through a drought hardship registry, where a farmer’s eligibility could be validated through a brief verification process.
“This would help to remove confusion and provide meaningful and widespread support.”
Dr Centofanti said the Opposition is pleased to see that the Government has taken its advice and included some of their suggestions in the latest drought relief measures, however stressed that many farmers would be disappointed that low and no interest concessional loans were not in the mix.
“Low and no interest concessional loans would have provided much needed cash flow at a critical time in terms of preparation for next seasons crops” Dr Centofanti said.
