Goulburn Mulwaree Council presses case for drought support

Goulburn Mulwaree was excluded in the initial round of the Drought Communities Program Extension late last year. It was also overlooked in a list of 52 more councils announced on January 28 for the $1 million funding.

General manager Warwick Bennett said he and Mayor Bob Kirk were "making very strong representations" to Hume MP Angus Taylor on the issue.

"We are more than eligible for that funding," he said.

"Councils have to have seven per cent of their communities reliant on agriculture. We have 6.2 per cent but that's still 2200 people. Other councils who have received the funding only have a few hundred farmers so the question the mayor is asking the federal government is why are our 2200 farmers any different to the 300 farmers in smaller councils that are receiving this drought relief?"

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Under the program, councils receive up to $1 million for community infrastructure and other drought relief programs.

He pointed out that in this region, Upper Lachlan Shire, Hilltops and two Snowy Mountains councils had received the grant but Goulburn Mulwaree, Yass Valley Shire and Queanbeyan Palerang had not.

"So we're disappointed," he said.

The council has written to Hume MP Angus Taylor arguing the case. Mr Bennett said the federal member was "supportive."

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Mayor Bob Kirk said he understood that the government had to set parameters and hoped if there was review of the program in future that Goulburn Mulwaree would be included.

Goulburn itself met the criteria for rainfall but not workforce reliant on agriculture, he said. Goulburn city received 481mm at the TAFE weather station in 2019 and 350mm at the airport. In 2018, the figures were 485 and 388mm respectively.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development bases eligibility on rainfall deficiency data from the Bureau of Meteorology and population and industry data, particularly reliance on agriculture.

Mr Taylor's office said the program in no way affected federal support for farmers and their families offered through other measures, such as the farm household allowance; it was purely directed at councils.

"Local Government Areas were assessed based on a decrease in rainfall levels, which Goulburn Mulwaree met easily," a spokeswoman said.

"Secondly, a minimum level of the population (had to be) engaged in agricultural employment (farming, fishing, forestry). This threshold was initially set at 12 per cent, with ministerial discretion to reduce down to 7pc, which was done by Minister Littleproud.

"Regrettably, Goulburn Mulwaree just fell short of this at 6.23. Currently, there are no plans to review this program. In the event it is extended further Mr Taylor will, of course, fully support Goulburn Mulwaree Council should they wish to apply."

The program has come in for scrutiny in recent weeks, with several councils questioning why they missed out. Conversely, in Victoria, Moyne Shire councillors were "stunned" that they had received the funding in the middle of a good season.

"It's more than an embarrassment, it's bad management. We could always do with $1 million but to call it drought relief, it's hard to believe," veteran councillor Jim Doukas told The Warrnambool Standard.

The program underwent an independent review this month. Ernst and Young found in part that its design meant there were "limited abilities to target areas that were economically affected by drought." This could have been because it focused on drought and not economic impact and the fact it relied on historical rainfall data when conditions could have changed since an eligibility assessment, the review stated.

The further 52 councils were announced as a result, Mr Taylor said.

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The funding can be used to help create employment for those impacted by drought, to stimulate infrastructure spending and to provide long-term benefits to communities and agricultural industries.

Yass Valley Shire Mayor Rowena Abbey said she would have welcomed all of that. The council has twice missed out on the grant, the first time in November when the agricultural employment criteria was 17pc.

"It is frustrating to say the least," she said.

"Compared to Upper Lachlan and Hilltops Shire, we have more people working in agriculture than they do, yet they get it and we don't. We have close to 17pc reliance on agriculture so it's one of our biggest industries."

Cr Abbey said Yass Valley met "nearly all the criteria, if not all" and was sure it would receive funding in the latest round. But this was not to be. She is again writing to the Department to understand why.

The Mayor believed the area's income per capita had influenced the assessment. But while there was a large proportion of private sector and public service employees around the Murrumbateman area who commuted to Canberra, it didn't mean primary producers weren't doing it tough, she said.

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"We have farmers carting water and feeding stock every day. Some have run completely out of water," she told The Post.

"...We have people here who are buying in water to drink and shower with and in that, we're no different to some other parts of NSW, but the drought funding could provide support..The Shire has 10 villages that are very rural and we need to keep them robust until things turn around."

Cr Abbey said livestock numbers through the Yass Livestock Exchange had dropped significantly. In Moyne Shire, where the Abbeys also operate a saleyard, she said stock were being unloaded on soggy ground, yet the region had received drought funding.

She told The Post the council would keep trying to secure the federal support.

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