An emergency motion about the worsening drought across much of the state paves the way for the Country Women’s Association (CWA) to step up pressure for support for farmers.
Late Wednesday delegates at the organisation’s annual conference overwhelmingly endorsed a motion calling on the NSW government to take urgent action to make a broader set of drought support measures and restructure and significantly increase drought funding.
The CWA will also advocate for improving the process for identifying and classifying drought areas and for a review of current drought application requirements.
The conference held in Armidale heard passionate debate and discussion about a raft of environmental, health and social issues.
“The emergency motion on the drought reflects the alarm of all members at the worsening situation across our state and the plight of our farmers and the agricultural sector,” CWA NSW president Annette Turner said.
“It’s getting more desperate by the day and the NSW Government needs to act now if we’re to avert a major crisis.
“More support measures are urgently needed and the ones that are in place need to be reviewed, particularly when it comes to an often ambiguous and complex application process.
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“And we do want to emphasise that it’s not only our farmers who are suffering.
“The communities in which they live are also feeling the pain, such as the small businesses in these areas that rely on the support of our farm families.
“There really is a knock-on effect.”
