Government awash with money as farmers struggle to stay afloat

One part is the $4bn in Snowy buy-out cash from the Federal Government that the NSW Government says will go to major regional projects at some unknown stage.   The other is the new NSW Generations Fund of $3bn, the interest from which will go to local communities, $300,000 a piece, which they can nominate through as yet an unknown means, for projects they as a community feel they need the most.

It’s nice to be in this situation. NSW is in a lucky position due to a swathe of stamp duty revenue. So the Government says it is changing tack, caring for people, after its recent huge city infrastructure spends, including stadium rebuilding, that has angered many in the bush, who want to see more regional infrastructure 

There’s a Creative Kids bonus, a $150 baby bundle and free pre-school care for three-year-olds. There’ll be 880 new teachers, more nurses and doctors and roads and hospitals spending goes on. Wagga Wagga’s hospital is becoming a major health centre in regional NSW. These are great initiatives.

But seeing the government squirelling away money is hard to take when you are looking down the barrel of a long drought and wondering why the government isn’t doing more to help farmers. There was something in the drought package. It’s offered $250million in loans with a maximum of $50,000 each. It may help 5000 farmers in total if taken up. 

The word from government though is that  farmers must be more resilient to drought. But as one Yeoval farmer said “we have shown resilience for 18 months’ and now we have to leave our farm”. How long are you supposed to be resilient for?  Farmers have been crying out for freight subsidies for stockfeed. But Regional Minister John Barilaro knocked this back, saying a subsidy  would distort the hay market. But is there a fair stockfeed market anymore? Things have become so grim one wonders how long before national fodder reserves run dry. That’s one area we haven’t banked on for a rainy day.

The Land applauds the Government’s change to the red-tape on managing kangaroo numbers on farm. It will make a big difference, but it needs to do more to ease the pain of the drought.