The Hodgman Liberal Government is continuing to work with and support farmers and communities impacted by floods this year, with the announcement today of a State-funded $2 million Agricultural Landscape Rehabilitation Scheme and more flexibility with boundaries for eligibility for funding.
The Landscape Rehabilitation Scheme will assist flood-affected landowners and communities to fund projects and services aimed at the rehabilitation of land and stream systems damaged as result of the floods in June this year.
The Tasmanian Government has also moved to remove inequities for some landowners caught up in boundary anomalies for accessing National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangement (NDRRA) grants.
We have listened to farmers and landowners and these are sensible changes that add flexibility to a rigid national scheme that will help individuals and communities continue to rebuild.
Hard line boundaries based on Local Government Area boundaries have been modified to include a 2km buffer extension from the middle of a natural water course that define LGA boundaries, and a 100m buffer for LGA boundaries where the 2km extension doesn’t apply.
This will ensure that primary producers, who are eligible for the grants, are not disadvantaged by being located on the ‘wrong’ side of a natural river watercourse that was impacted by the floods.
Additionally, the deadline for Category C $10,000 Primary Producer Clean-up Grants has been extended to March 31, 2017.
These grants, which we announced in July, are for up to $10,000 to help primary producers with clean-up and restoration activities including removing debris, disposing of dead livestock, salvaging crops, grain and feed, and repairing plant and equipment.
The Agricultural Landscape Rehabilitation Schemewill target private property and adjacent areas that have suffered physical damage as a result of the floods and we will be working closely with the three regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups to deliver the landscape rehabilitation scheme.
Proposed works that may be considered under the Scheme could include debris clean-up on productive land, including the removal of timber and river cobble, land rehabilitation across the floodplain, erosion management and future flood mitigation measures.
The Scheme will be formally opened on Monday 19 December. In the interim, interested property owners can obtain information on the Scheme by contacting the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE).
More detail about the Primary Producer Clean-Up Grants can be found on the DPIPE website: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/flood-information
For more information about the Agricultural Landscape Rehabilitation Scheme members of the public can email: Flood.Recovery@dpipwe.tas.gov.au or telephone (03) 6165 4404.
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