The NSW Nationals are calling for more immediate support for struggling farmers, as extremely dry conditions grip almost half of the state.
The Minns Government's announcement to continue the 2021 Farm Business Resilience Program is a testament to the success of the initiative, but shows Labor has NO plan when it comes to dealing with drought.
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said while the program funding is welcome, it will do very little to help primary producers who have already been impacted for the past 12 months.
"Right now, the south of the state is either in drought or drought-affected, which has translated to record selloffs and the price of feed going through the roof, forcing people to weigh up their options to try and make it through," Mr Saunders said.
"Farmers expect to come across tough times and they deal with that as it comes, but the government needs to back them when it counts, by providing more targeted support to get them back on their feet.
"In the short-term that needs to include meaningful grants, and longer-term the workshops and practical skills need to go hand in hand with building resilience through infrastructure on the ground.
"Our Farm Innovation Fund did exactly that, but Labor's replacement has been a complete flop, offering less support, shorter terms and a higher interest rate, making it much less palatable."
The Farm Innovation Fund received almost 6500 applications since 2019, while Labor's Drought Ready and Resilient Fund has had very little uptake with just 214 applications since it was announced in October 2023.
"This should be setting off alarm bells for Labor that it needs a complete rethink about what's on offer," Mr Saunders said.
"We allocated a billion dollars to the Farm Innovation Fund but now that money has been exhausted, and Labor's alternative is clearly not up to scratch, so the Government needs to repurpose that program to make sure help is actually getting out the door.
"What's happening in places like Wagga has shown us how quickly the rest of the state could follow.
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail and we need action to be taken now."
