The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has welcomed the beginning of a review to ensure farmers experiencing drought were well supported.
The Agriculture Minister David Littleproud this week announced the start of a review of the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) to find out whether the payment could be improved.
The review’s terms of reference have been finalised and an expert panel has been selected.
Mr Chester said he had been told the FHA application process was too long and too detailed.
“This is a time when we need to support our farmers experiencing drought in any way we can,” Mr Chester said.
“We need to respond to the feedback we have received about the application process and do what we can to ensure people who would qualify to receive this payment are not discouraged from applying.
“We need to get this help to people who need it, when they need it. Our farmers are struggling now and we need to get the financial assistance they are entitled to receive to them as quickly as possible.”
Last month, the Federal Government announced the FHA application form would be simplified and the number of staff processing those forms would be increased.
It also announced there would be increased phone access capacity to enable farmers to apply over the phone, and fewer documents would be needed to make an application.
Minister Littleproud said it made sense to review the allowance.
“It’s time we got under the bonnet of the FHA and had a good look,” Minister Littleproud said.
“The government is also getting on with helping farmers in hardship access the FHA now by extending the FHA from three to four years,” Minister Littleproud said.
“We’ve committed more than $77 million to the Rural Financial Counselling Service program to June 2020, including $17 million to extend the 12 national RFCS providers’ contracts and a further $8.4 million to meet additional demand.”
The three-member FHA review panel will run a public submission process to ensure all interested stakeholders can participate. It will make recommendations to government in the first half of 2019.
