The Government of South Australia has welcomed the announcement of further drought relief from the Australian Government which will make it easier for farmers and small business to access Exceptional Circumstances assistance.

The measures include:

• An increase to the off-farm income exemption from $10,000 to $20,000
• An increase to the off-farm assets limit, for access to Exceptional Circumstances Interest Rate Subsidy, from $473,000 to $750,000.
• Immediate access to the $5,000 professional advice and planning grants for farmers in EC declared areas
• Extending the eligibility of small business access to EC assistance, to include all small businesses in towns of up to 10,000 population that have a significant reliance on farmers for their income, and have suffered a downturn.
• Grants of up to $20,000 to irrigators in the Murray Darling Basin to implement water management strategies in response to significantly reduced allocations
• An exit grant of up to $150,000 for farmers who have decided to leave the land, and an increase in the assets limit to access this grant, to $350,000
• A further $10,000 for advice and retraining and up to $10,000 for relocation expenses is also available to those who take up the exit grant.
• Information workshops to assist irrigators manage their farm businesses with reduced water allocations
• Funding for up to an additional 13 Rural Financial Counsellors, an additional 10 Centrelink rural Support Officers and five social workers
• Additional social and emotional counseling through the establishment of 25 family support drought response teams
• An increase of $1000 to the Assistance for Isolated Children Additional Boarding Allowance and an ongoing supplementary allowance of $1000 for all students who receive an AIC Distance Education Allowance.
• Up to an additional $10,000 a school in EC declared areas
• An additional $4.5 million for the Emergency Relief Program to fund community and charitable organizations to provide emergency assistance.

More information and fact sheets are available at:

http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/drought/media/publications

The Australian Government has also fully declared Exceptional Circumstances for the Lower South East as well as the Central and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges.

The two regions currently were prima facie declared, but with full EC declaration, producers can now apply for interest rate subsidies and other EC-triggered assistance as well as the current income support.

Interim EC assistance has also been declared for the remaining agricultural land in SA, not currently EC declared, until 30 September 2008.

Producers are urged not to self assess, but to contact Centrelink on 13 2316 to check eligibility for EC assistance. For information on EC interest rate subsides contact PIRSA Prudential and Rural Financial Services on 1800 182 235.

Premier Mike Rann has announced a drought response co-ordinator will be appointed to assist Eyre Peninsula farmers and communities in their drought recovery. This approach may be matched in other areas of the State.

The role of the drought coordinator will be to provide farmers with a single point of contact and expertise for all drought measures. It is based on the success of appointing an overall co-ordinator to direct the bushfire recovery program in the region.

This follows a two-day visit to the region by the Premier with the Acting Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Pat Conlon and Acting Chief Executive of PIRSA Geoff Knight. They flew into Cleve and visited farmers from Darke Peak, Kyancutta, Wudinna, Minnipa, through to Wirrulla and Streaky Bay to gain a range of views about what the State and Federal Governments can do to help them stay on the land, continue to bring in an income and keep their communities economically and socially viable.

Following the regional visit, the Premier also announced the Government of South Australia would:

• Extend the “Planning for Recovery” initiative that provides grants of $4,000 for development of integrated business plans plus up to $10,000 to make on-farm changes.
• Initiate a “Young Farmers Package” comprising a rural leadership program to target up to 20 leaders in drought affected regions.
• Lobby the Federal Government to loosen the Exceptional Circumstances eligibility criteria for farmers and small business, including a more liberal treatment treatment of off-farm properties as part of their assets test and to help streamline and accelerate the processing of applications to the Federal Government.
• Organise for the Acting Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and PIRSA Acting Chief Executive to meet with key financial institutions including banks and traders to advocate on behalf of farmers facing harsh circumstances.
• Commit, through PIRSA, to continuing the highly successful “Farming Systems Project” which operates out of the Minnipa Research Centre.
• Develop, through TAFE SA, expanded off farm employment and training options within the region.
• Facilitate discussions with key mining companies aimed at innovative approaches to rostering to enable people to continue living on their farms while working in the booming mining sector, to ensure communities remain together.

These initiatives are additional to the more than $60 million in State Government drought assistance already committed.

The fourth Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) Contingency Planning Report confirms that the 2007-08 water availability outlook for the southern MDB is very serious.

Despite around average rainfall over large parts of the MDB from January to July 2007, inflows into River Murray storages so far in 2007-08 are still well below average. Inflows received in the 2007-08 season are among the lowest on record. Due to severely depleted storages at the beginning of this water year, there is significantly less water in Murray System storages now than there was in August 2006.

The September 2007 overview report is available on the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Water resources website at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/mdb/dry-inflow-planning-sep07.html.

Construction work to temporarily disconnect another six water bodies from the main River Murray channel has started.

Investigations are now complete and approvals received to begin the temporary disconnection of Lake Bonney (from 25 Sept), Yatco Lagoon (8 Oct), Murbko South Wetland (26 Oct), and Nelwart Swamp 5 Oct).

Approvals are still being finalized for Horseshoe Lagoon and Nelwood Swamp with closures expected later in November.

The Minister for the River Murray says the disconnections are critical during the current extreme drought and will help to reduce evaporation, save water and prevent the draining of saline and nutrient rich water back into the River Murray if weir pool levels can not be maintained.

Already 27 regulated wetlands and two unregulated lagoons - Ross and Jaeschke lagoons near Waikerie - have been temporarily disconnected, saving about 15 gigalitres in evaporation over the past 12 months.

By temporarily disconnecting the additional water bodies from the main channel of the River Murray, about 36 gigalitres in water savings will be achieved over a year. This is important to meet South Australia’s commitments to the water sharing agreements made by Murray-Darling Basin partners earlier this year.

The South Australian Farmers Federation has organised a tour of the Eyre Peninsula to meet with primary producers, farmers, families, business people and educators.

The tour arrives on Tuesday 2 October in Ceduna and will over the following three days visit various centres including Wirrulla, Smoky Bay, Darke Peak, Kimba, Cleve, Tumby Bay, Port Lincoln and Cowell.

A new advertising campaign began this week to raise awareness of South Australian Government water initiatives and promote the new October water restrictions.

Water Matters is a major campaign focussing on the Government’s four-way water strategy areas:

• Desalination – including planning for a metropolitan desalination plant
• Catchments – including planning for a possible expansion of Mount Bold Reservoir
• Recycling – highlighting key projects on the go to reuse more treated wastewater and stormwater
• Managing water use – including community and industry efforts to save water

This campaign will include television, radio, print material, a web portal, fact sheets and Frequently Asked Questions on the important water issues to be promoted throughout South Australia over the coming months and will go hand in hand with the education campaign on the slight easing of restrictions for October.

From Monday 1 October domestic water restrictions will be changed to allow for the use of drippers and hand-held hoses fitted with trigger nozzles for a maximum of three hours a week:

• Even numbered houses: Saturday 6-9am or 5-8pm
• Odd numbered houses: Sunday 6-9am or 5-8pm

Watering cans and buckets can still be used at any time, as can rainwater, bore water and grey water (in line with health regulations). Existing permits for age or disability will continue.

Sprinklers and other watering systems remain banned.

Drought E-News is a regular newsletter updating the State Government’s drought response. If you’ve been forwarded this E-News and you would like to subscribe, click on the link below, complete the details and you will receive drought E-News in the future.

Feedback is always welcome, email Drought News.