MILLEWA farmers are being “held in limbo” until Mildura Council decides how it will spend a $1 million Federal Government drought-assistance handout announced earlier this year.
Council has conceded that farmers had not yet been consulted about how they would like the money spent, but that would happen once potential projects to be funded have been scoped.
Mildura Mayor Simon Clemence on Sunday said a committee formed to come up with ideas had spent the past two weeks “trying to get this off the ground”, and find constructive ways to spend the $1 million which was confirmed by the Coalition’s return to power in May this year.
Cr Clemence said that while the spend was time-critical, council wanted to use the money “responsibly” and on “the right sort of thing that people are happy with”.
The council has until the end of June next year to spend the money which Cr Clemence acknowledged posed some difficulties.
“Unfortunately, the rules around the money are structured in such a way that it has to be for infrastructure … basically it’s for building something from scratch or pump the money into something that’s already existing,” Cr Clemence said.
“If you build something you’ve got to plan for it, you’ve got to design it, you’ve got to tender it — you have got to go through this whole process and then you have got very little time left to actually build it.
“If we spend it inappropriately then it won’t pass the pub test — we have to do something in the Millewa that will support that area.
“We have to make sure that it is spent right.”
Cr Clemence said council would have “absolutely” preferred greater flexibility in determining what to do with the money and that it might question whether there was any room to move under funding guidelines.
“The more options we have the easier it is going to be,” he said.
“We don’t want to end up being able to identify only two or three projects worth $600,000 and having to give back $400,000 — we want it spent on the farmers to show some support.
“They haven’t been consulted yet but we will, of course, however we have to come up with something to consult them about.
“We need to have something to put to them and they could come back with some ideas of their own.
“There’s a lot to do in a little period of time and it’s being done now.
“We are already casting around and trying to get this off the ground, but we’ll get there.”
Mildura councillor for environment and farming sustainability Anthony Cirillo said any delay in using the money to support those most in need was “not ideal” and should be used “ASAP”.
“Farmers affected by the drought already know they are not going to get a crop and not going to get any income and they are basically hanging in limbo trying to plan how to move to the next stage of their business,” Cr Cirillo said.
“A decision should be handed down as soon as possible and obviously put the farmers on the right path.
“They are going to have to make decisions … but having no clarity on the funding, that is going to affect them to some degree.
“It’s extremely vital that the funding get to the people in need ASAP.”
Cr Cirillo said farmers in an 80km radius around Mildura were “hurting pretty bad” and he had been told that grief was now extending further south.
“Some crops are withering as we speak due to a lack of September rains that were needed to bring those crops home,” he said.
“And it starts to creep beyond just financial implications — it starts to have severe family and mental health issues when it’s prolonged.
“My push would be that whatever decision is to be made … gets pushed to the front of the line in terms of decision making.”
The federal funding aims to target infrastructure and other projects that provide employment for people whose work opportunities have been impacted by drought; stimulate local community spending; use local resources, businesses and suppliers; and provides a long-lasting benefit to communities and the agricultural industries on which they depend.
