Tough wait

By Elizabeth Lillis
LOCAL farmers have a twoweek wait to see if they are eligible to access drought assistance.
The State Government has asked the Federal Government to consider interim Exceptional Circumstances (EC) status for the region’s droughtstricken farmers.
Victorian Minister for Agriculture Joe Helper announced last Wednesday that he had written to his federal counterpart Peter McGauran presenting a case for EC for the region covering the local government areas of Cardinia, Casey, South Gippsland, Baw Baw, Bass Coast and Yarra Ranges. If the application is successful, it will give farmers access to a range of State Government drought assistance and Federal Governmentadministered Centrelink relief payments.
Mr McGauran told ABC radio last Wednesday that he would have decision on whether the interim assistance would be granted within two weeks.
The interim assistance if granted would be available for six months.
Cardinia Victorian Farmers’ Federation president David Young said he was pleased the claim for assistance has been presented to the Federal Government, but he was not happy with the delay in the State Government presenting it.
“The wait was unacceptable,” he said.
Mr Young said he was “cautiously optimistic” the interim assistance would be granted.
He said continued pressure was needed on federal MPs to ensure the interim assistance was granted.
“Then detailed work needs to be done within the six months to get full EC status,” Mr Young said.
He said the region had previously had interim assistance, but not full assistance.
Cardinia Shire councillor Doug Hamilton said he was glad to hear the claim had been lodged.
“Driving around the shire you can see the assistance is well and truly justified,” he said. “It would help those who need it if they could have access to a Health Care Card and Centrelink payments.”
If the interim assistance is granted, farmers would be entitled to apply for a 50 per cent municipal rate subsidy from the State Government.
Cr Hamilton said the council would await further details, if the interim declaration was made, about what happened during the interim period to gain full EC status.
“The hard work starts when the assistance is granted. “Farmers have to put in applications for the assistance. Changes to the assistance means people who in the past may have had a too high offfarm income and weren’t eligible before are now more likely to be eligible.”
A drought forum for farmers in the Port Phillip and Westernport area will be held at the Kooweerup Community Centre from 10.45am today (Wednesday).