Almost six months on from the devastating NSW bushfires, farmers Carolyn and David Duff are still waiting for a $130,000 disaster loan from the Rural Assistance Authority to hit their bank account.
Key points:
- The Deputy Premier says he will personally follow up on the Duffs' loan
- The beef and soybean farmers say they need the money to employ much needed staff
- More than 1,100 primary producers have received recovery grants totalling more than $67 million
"It's all just smoke and mirrors," Mrs Duff said.
"Everybody's talking about recovery and getting help to the bushfire victims, in particular the rural community, [but] it's just too slow," Mrs Duff said.
On November 8, the worst bushfire in living memory came through the Duffs' beef and soybean farm about 35 kilometres west of Kempsey on the Mid North Coast.
"Incomprehensible" was the best word Mr Duff could find to describe the fire storm which travelled 20 odd kilometres in under two hours.
"I've never been so scared in all my life," he said.
The Duffs lost six dogs, almost 60 kilometres of boundary and internal fences, a shed full of essential farming machinery worth about $250,000 and 70 head of cattle, which had to be euthanased.
"We did a quick tally up and it cost us about $1.2 million in about two hours," he said.
For 10 weeks amidst dust and ash they handfed their surviving cattle.
"We went through semi-trailer loads of hay which were worth about $12,000 a week for 10 weeks so you could say we went through $100,000 worth of hay just to try and keep the cattle alive," Mr Duff said.
Two days after the fire, Mrs Duff says she applied for the $130,000 natural disaster loan through the Rural Assistance Authority (RAA).
In January, the loan was approved.
"As of today I still don't have that money. It has been the biggest nightmare," she said.
"I [also] got an email saying it was only going to be $125,000 because we've had to devalue your property because of the fire … I freefell (sic), you've got to be kidding me, are you serious?"
Although the Duffs received $85,000 in grants and an insurance payout, the low-interest loan would allow them to ensure employment for six workers on their property.
"The Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) is supposed to be for the farmer — totally not," she said.
Mrs Duff said she doesn't know of one person in the area that has received a loan.
Deputy Premier promises to help Duffs
It is not known how many of the $130,000 natural disaster relief loans have been paid but the RAA has approved 16 bushfire recovery loans (up to $500,000 over 10 years) and 167 working capital loans ($50,000 over five years).
A spokesperson for the Disaster Recovery Office said loans take longer to process than grants due to the additional information required from the claimant.
More than 1,100 primary producers have received recovery grants totalling more than $67 million.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said it was unacceptable the Duffs had been waiting so long.
"We'll make sure we follow that up to understand that there is no blockage," he said.
"Because there was an initial approval, we should just get on with getting that money into that bank account."
He said sometimes the process took longer when more information was needed but it was his job to "kick some bums" to get the funds distributed.
"The thing that keeps me up at night are people that fall through the cracks or hold-ups in the system."
'From hell to paradise'
The Duffs still don't know whether their business can withstand the hit they have taken but recent rain boosted their chances.
Since mid-January the farm received up to 630 millimetres, which was definitely something to celebrate, with their average annual rainfall only 1,100mm.
"Last year, we didn't measure 350mm," Mr Duff said.
"We've gone from hell to paradise in about six weeks."
The Duffs remain positive at this stage.
"If you asked me probably prior to the rain I wasn't in a real good spot," Mr Duff said.
"The enormity of it and how much was devastated in that short period of time was just pretty hard to comprehend.
"But our kids came to us and said 'well, you can't give up, you're too young'."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA0LTE5L25zdy1mYXJtZXJzLXN0aWxsLXdhaXRpbmctZm9yLWJ1c2hmaXJlLWxvYW5zLzEyMTYxNTUw0gEmaHR0cDovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTIxNjE1NTA?oc=5
2020-04-18 21:58:53Z
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