Assistance for Victorian farmers expanded as floods continue to ravage state

The Victorian floodwaters have caused several hundred million dollars’ worth of damage that will take years to recover, directly affecting the farming and agricultural industries, experts have warned following another night of devastating flooding.

The devastation has prompted Premier Ted Baillieu to increase clean-up and restoration grants for businesses, with funds to rise from $15,000 to $25,000.

The warning comes as thousands of residents were forced to evacuate the towns of Kerang yesterday, with the town of Dimboola expected to come under threat today.

Although cracks in the Kerang levee along the Loddon River were being repaired yesterday, emergency workers said water will threaten the town for the next three days due to the immense pressure of the floods.

Emergency services minister Peter Ryan said this morning that “this flood emergency is still far from over”. Rescue workers expect Dimboola, Jeparit, Beulah and Brim to be affected today.

So far, the Victorian floods have hit over 1,730 properties and thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. About 3,000 have taken shelter in disaster centres set up across the state.

Those residents who have remained in Kerang have been told power outages should be expected, with water threatening a nearby power station. Those outages could extend to Cohuna and Swan Hill if the station is affected.

Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said late yesterday that flooding will continue over the next 10 days. Other evacuation orders have been put in place for Warracknabeal, Dimboola, Pyramid Hill, Quambatook and Culgoa.

”The Loddon and Campaspe rivers flow into the Murray but other rivers, which flow into the lake system, have ongoing problems because those systems are unable to accept any more flows… In places we have 20-kilometre wide flows of water just trying to make its way to the Murray.”

”[There is] urgency where the water now is impending … and, of course, in the other towns they are now left with the clean up. But nobody will be left behind in this. I give that assurance,” he said.

But as the flood waters continue to ravage the countryside, attention has now been focused on the economic turmoil.

Baillieu announced yesterday in Warracknabeal that clean up grants for those affected by the floods, including flooding that occurred in September last year, would be extended from $15,000 to $25,000. These grants will be available for businesses, not-for-profits and primary producers.

“These communities need support, deserve support and will get support,” he said. “As I have travelled around Victoria’s flood-affected communities, it is obvious that many communities are still recovering from the damage of last September’s floods.”

The Victorian Farmers Federation has welcomed the announcement, with president Andrew Broad saying a massive recovery effort will be needed to repair damage to grant, crops and plenty of livestock – with a bill running into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

VFF deputy president Peter Tuohey said a third of the country’s grain comes from Victoria, which will have an affect on bread, along with rising prices for stone fruit.

“Some of the greatest impact has been on grains, with some crops wiped out completely,” he told The Australian. “This year was supposed to be the best year ever after so many years of drought and now it’s turned out to be a real gut-wrenching year… It will devastate a lot of farmers.”

The head of the Victorian Floods Appeal, Ron Walker, also said the recovery effort will cost millions, although the true figure may not be known for some time.

“The exact figure is unquantifiable at the moment and I think will probably be for the months ahead,” he said.

The Federal Government also announced the floods in Victoria and New South Wales will be declared as disasters for taxation funds, which means any donation to relief funds can be classed as tax deductible.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard also said yesterday funding will be available for affected residents through the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment scheme.

“That means people hit by floodwaters can make a claim for emergency money, that first assistance they need when they have been evacuated, when they need some cash to get them through,” she said.