THE Water for Fodder program proves the Federal Government is not prepared to make tough decisions to help those in the most desperate circumstances, says Speak Up Campaign chair Shelley Scoullar.
Mrs Scoullar labelled the program as a “farce” after it delivered water to South Australian irrigators on 100 per cent allocation, while NSW Murray irrigators on zero allocation missed out.
She said the program has been spruiked by Federal Water Resources Minister David Littleproud for providing heavily discounted water for desperate farmers, however was providing little help to areas most in need.
“It is yet another water policy failure that picks winners and losers,” she said.
“Any decent package would have ensured those in most need were prioritised.”
In NSW there were 283 successful applications, which represented 18 per cent of those who made a submission.
Farmers from NSW Murray who applied are battling their second consecutive year of zero water allocation.
Victoria did not fare much better with a 20 per cent success rate from their 2554 applications.
Meanwhile, there was a 23 per cent success rate for the 57 applicants from SA who were already on 100 per cent allocation.
Mrs Scoullar said there was the potential for the program to have some merit, even though it was announced two months too late to save the crops which were already in the ground, and the announcement of successful applicants was too late for some to plant summer crops.
“To rub salt into the wound, South Australian irrigators who already have their full allocation had the highest success rate, given they are on 100 per cent it is unclear why they should have been allowed to participate,” she said.
“I know of one farmer who was made to feel so confident about the program that he planted corn, and now he has been unsuccessful in the so-called ‘ballot’.
“It’s just another kick in the guts.”
