Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, has welcomed further assistance for farmers affected by the NSW Sir Ivan Bushfire.

 

Mr Joyce said grants of up to $15,000 will be provided to eligible primary producers to help with costs associated with cleaning up, salvaging crops and repairing damaged equipment.

 

The assistance is being provided through the Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).

 

Four weeks ago, the village of Uarbry in Central West NSW was tragically destroyed by the Sir Ivan bushfire.  The fire destroyed 35 homes, a church and community hall and left a path of destruction through tens of thousands of hectares of farming land.

 

“The thoughts of all Australians continue to be with those who lost their homes or livelihoods or were affected by the Sir Ivan bushfire.  We thank our remarkable firefighting crews for their dedication to protecting our communities, and all local residents who supported their efforts,” Mr Joyce said.

 

By making these payments available today, the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments will ensure that those who have lost their livelihoods have the additional assistance they need to help them on the road to recovery.

 

The grants are over and above assistance already provided under the joint Commonwealth-State NDRRA, which was announced on 14 February, including:

 

• Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged;

• Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;

• Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations;

• Freight subsidies for primary producers; and

• Grants to non-profit organisations.

 

Further information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website: www.disasterassist.gov.au.

 

 

 

(ENDS)