Drought Downpour:
How to find the answers you need when drought assistance information has reached saturation point.
Well…the media storm has blown over, but the drought continues right across New South Wales and beyond. With the intense coverage and fast-paced policy turnarounds from legislators, the financial landscape is changing almost daily.
So – what’s what? What support is out there for Aussie farmers? And has anyone remembered small business? And what’s the best way to keep up to date with all the changes? That’s where we come in…
If you don’t have time to read through every new detail and legislation change (only for it change again tomorrow), then this is for you. Save yourself some time, and maybe a headache, with our 3 main tips for keeping up with drought assistance:
- Check out Drought Hub
The central point for everything farming to do with the drought can be found online at Drought Hub, an initiative of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
There you’ll find info on everything from finance and management information, to drought maps and animal welfare, even research and development. It’s there to keep everything finance and drought-related all under one roof, which is great…except when it’s not.
Sometimes working your way around Drought Hub can be a little tricky, so if you’re looking for something in particular and keep turning up empty, just give us a call. With our ‘Free 10 Minute Q&A Call’, you can ask us whatever you like and we’ll do our best to give you a clear and concise answer.
And don’t worry, we’re not holding our timestamp at the ready…there’s absolutely no cost involved. Just pick up the phone and ask for a free 10 minute call.
- Find Out About Farm Household Allowance
Farm Household Allowance is a payment for primary producers in financial hardship. Whilst this is not a newly available payment, there are changes coming to the Farm Household Allowance that may affect you. You can read about the proposed changes online via the Dept of Human Services, or just give us a call.
To read about eligibility for the Farm Household Allowance, and find information about claiming or managing payments, click here.
If you’re looking for assistance with your application, we can help – just pick up the phone and get in touch to book a time. Or, drop us a line on email.
- Look After Yourself
Hey…off-topic for an accountant, right? Maybe, but put simply: this is important. We love seeing our clients kicking goals in life. In fact, our mission is to help our clients achieve over 1000 business and personal goals by 2020. (By the way, we’re over halfway there!).
On the flip side, we want to make sure that when our communities experience the low times, there’s always a shoulder to lean on. This is why we support and recommend services under the Wellbeing arm of Drought Hub, like the Rural Resilience Program.
It’s also why we’re doing our bit to let you know you’re not on your own. Sometimes it just helps to know there’s someone in your corner, especially with the ups and downs of small business or a family farming operation. So if you’ve got specific financial questions, ease your stress levels by getting in touch. We will do our best to give you clear and concise answers within our scope. And if we don’t know straight away, then we’ll get back to you (and we don’t charge for it).
Keeping up with the ever-changing fence lines of drought assistance can be tricky, but we’re here to help. Check out the links for all the info, and don’t forget about our ‘Free 10 Minute Q&A Call’ – book online today.
