Flood recovery grant applications to be processed quicker

THE State Government last week announced it would immediately double the number of staff members working on the processing of Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) Recovery Grants for primary producers impacted by the May floods.

Since June, the RAA has received almost 2,000 applications and has approved more than $23 million in payments, however the Government admits the initial rollout faced “some delays” due to the large number of applications lodged.

According to the Government’s timeline, by last Friday all those who had previously applied should have either had their claim assessed or received a direct update on the status of their application.

The Government says the current time for processing an application has been reduced to 25 business days, with an aim to reduce this to 20 days as soon as possible.

The additional staff will work directly on assessments, ensuring straightforward applications are fast-tracked, and more complex cases have the extra resources to speed up the appropriate review.

“Our message to primary producers is clear, we have implemented improvements to processing applications but there is more work to do, and I understand their concerns regarding the waiting time for payments,” Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said.

“That’s why we are doubling the number of people on the job, to clear the backlog and get more payments out the door.”

Member for Oxley Michael Kemp, whose electorate was smashed by the record-breaking May floods, welcomed the announcement but slammed ongoing delays to the recovery process.

“It is good to see recognition of the pressure our farmers and small businesses have been under, and this investment should mean support is rolled out more quickly to the people who need it most,” he said.

“But why has it taken 100 days and relentless pressure for them to act?

“So far, just 23 percent of applications have been approved. That’s not support, that’s red tape.”

Mr Kemp, who is based in Kempsey, said farmers and small business owners are being forced to “jump through endless hoops” due to issues with the application process system.

“[They are] reapplying multiple times, resending the same documents four or five times, only to have them bounce back again.

“Instead of getting help, they’ve been caught in a bureaucratic merry-go-round that has delivered nothing but stress and left people feeling abandoned.”

The State Government claims it has improved the application experience in the past month, making it easier to upload documents and images, especially larger sized files.

“Another improvement has been to provide an easy-to-use guide that contains ‘application tips’ to support primary producers through the application process,” the government said in a statement.

NSW Farmers Oyster Committee Chair Brandon Armstrong said disaster assistance had been far too long coming for many farming families in the Hunter and on the Mid North Coast.

“Be it dairy and beef farmers, or oyster growers, or anyone in between, the impacts of successive flood and storm events in NSW have been no less than catastrophic, and there’s a long road to recovery still ahead,” Mr Armstrong said.

“Our farming families have waited long enough, and it’s time disaster assistance gets to where it’s needed, so farmers can get back on their feet.

“Fodder, freight, cleanup and a long list of other costs are bearing down heavily on the farming families who have been affected by these events, and the process to apply for disaster assistance has been complex, slow and difficult for many.”

To apply for assistance: www.raa.nsw.gov.au.