NSW taxpayers to aid farms in drought

NSW taxpayers will foot the fixed water bill charged to hundreds of drought-stricken farmers, saving them about $2.3 million, the state government says.

Premier Kristina Keneally announced the water relief on Monday while touring
drought-affected areas in central NSW, where she visited a farm at Cowra and
Wyangala Dam, which is perilously close to being dry.
Ms Keneally said the measure, which will help 600 Lachlan Valley irrigators, was
part of the government's commitment to help farmers adjust to reduced water
availability.
Fees would be waived for general security licence holders who receive a zero water
allocation for the third consecutive year, limiting the unpopular practice of
charging farmers for water they haven't used.
The latest drought figures paint a bleak picture across NSW, with 80.8 per cent of
the state now in drought - up from 73.6 per cent in October - with a further 14.8
per cent considered marginal.
"The Lachlan Valley is in the geographical heart of NSW and is at the centre of the
drought crisis currently gripping nearly three quarters of the state," Ms Keneally
said.
"I want people of regional NSW to know that their plight is at the forefront of our
minds."
The Lachlan Valley extends from Crookwell in the east to Ivanhoe and Oxley in the
west, north to Parkes and Condobolin and south to West Wyalong.
The region had endured drought for nine consecutive years, resulting in dangerously
low water supplies, Water Minister Phil Costa said.
"Wyangala Dam can hold almost 2.5 times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour, but
is down to just 4.5 per cent of capacity - the lowest on record for this time of
year," Mr Costa said.
NSW Farmers Association president Charles Armstrong, who accompanied Ms Keneally on
her two-day drought tour of NSW, welcomed the announcement.
"The burden of fixed water charges that can range from hundreds to thousands of
dollars every year is exacerbating an already difficult situation," he said.
"This move will help alleviate the adverse impacts of the ongoing drought on
regional communities dependent upon the irrigated farming sector, as well as farm
families struggling through this unprecedented drought."
But the NSW opposition criticised the time taken to provide assistance, saying it
had advocated a similar move three months ago.
"We welcome the government's announcement on fixed water charges, albeit the fact
that we had to drag them kicking and screaming to this decision," opposition
industry spokesman Duncan Gay said.
Mr Gay called for a review of fixed water charges across the state.
"The current system that we operate under, where people can pay for a number of
years for water that they don't get, is ridiculous," he said.