FLOOD RELIEF - NO ANSWER AFTER A YEAR

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More than a year after massive flood waters inundated the gulf country of North West Queensland, landowners are still waiting for a positive response from governments to their pleas for help.

Federal Opposition Spokesman on Northern and Remote Australia, Senator Ian Macdonald said that the floods in northern New South Wales again highlighted the damage that flood waters could cause.

“I hope those who are badly affected in northern New South Wales get a quicker response to their claims for assistance than those in North West Queensland did 12 months ago.

“Whilst immediate natural disaster relief funding was made available, the claim by north western Queensland landholders for Exceptional Circumstances (EC) relief has gone unanswered.

“After 12 months of waiting, many landholders in the gulf country are in dire straits.

“Long after the flood waters receded the impacts of inundation for up to 8 weeks, are still being felt.

“Grasses have not grown. Any seed or sign of life was obliterated after 8 weeks under water.

“This was a genuine exceptional circumstance that should have enabled assistance to flow to graziers and other land owners but 12 months on - still no word.

“I suspect that those in New South Wales may not have to wait as long as they are closer to the powers that be in Canberra and Sydney.

“With the Rudd Government, it always seems to be out of sight, out of mind and remote Queenslanders continue to suffer because the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments cannot make a decision on what appears to me to be a clear case for EC funding.

“I plead with the Federal Government to speed up the process and ensure a positive outcome to the application by graziers for funding.

“And I certainly hope that those landholders in northern New South Wales impacted by exceptional  weather conditions don’t have to wait for a year to get the relief that all Australians expect for those in need.

END

8 January 2010

Media contact Gordon Terry      (07) 4771 3066   or   0427 960 255                                           

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