Murray-Darling Basin Initiative
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As part of the 2007-08 Budget, the Australian Government announced specific measures to assist farmers, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry in the Murray-Darling Basin facing the prospect of low water allocations from 1 July 2007.
The Murray-Darling Basin contains 11 per cent of the Australian population and almost 43 per cent of the total number of farms across Australia. The Basin has a diverse community that includes producers of dairy, grain and fruit. The ongoing drought and changes to water allocation have impacted heavily on this region.
A zero water allocation means farms may not be able to use water for irrigation. The southern part of the Murray-Darling Basin has seen New South Wales and Victoria with zero water allocation and South Australia with 13 per cent water allocation from 4 August 2007.
The ongoing drought and changes to water allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin region means many farmers, farm families, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry in this region are now eligible for a range of Australian Government drought assistance measures.
This support includes:
- the Australian Government Murray-Darling Basin Assistance and Referral Line FreeCALL™ 1800 050 015
- an additional eight Centrelink specialist Rural Services Officers who will provide a range of services direct to those in the Murray-Darling Basin region
- an additional 15 Centrelink Social Workers/Psychologists who will work in the region with farmers and their families and local communities, and
- additional Rural Financial Counselling services to the region to assist primary producers in financial difficulty in these times of hardship.
Murray-Darling Basin Service Delivery Coordination Unit
The Murray-Darling Basin Service Delivery Coordination Unit was established as part of the Federal Government’s 2007-08 Budget commitments. The unit will coordinate services, create links with other government and non-government agencies and provide a focus on enabling those affected by the drought or changes to water allocations to move forward.
The unit will coordinate the additional 15 Social Workers/Psychologists and eight Rural Services Officers. A key feature of the unit will be the collaborative approach it takes to ensuring excellence in service delivery and in the provision of information and referrals.
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Murray-Darling Basin Drought Bus
The Murray-Darling Basin Drought Bus will be travelling exclusively through the region for two years to inform farmers, farm families, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry about Australian Government payments and services they may be eligible for due to ongoing drought and changes in water allocation.
Centrelink Rural Services Officers, rural Social Workers and Customer Service Advisers will be available to discuss a wide range of assistance.
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Murray-Darling Basin map - Centrelink service points
To find out where Centrelink service points are in the Murray-Darling Basin, view the map below:
For address details and opening hours, refer to the Visit Us section of this website.
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What help is available
For information about the assistance available to farmers, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry affected by the ongoing drought and changes to the water allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin region, refer to the Australian Government Drought Assistance page.
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More information
