TAMWORTH Regional Council is set to call on the federal government to stump-up more support for drought-affected areas.
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The council will call on support from its local government counterparts Australia-wide to build pressure for a greater level of drought assistance.
Councillors will vote at their meeting on Tuesday night on taking a drought-related motion to the National General Assembly for Local Government in June.
Tamworth council helped coordinate a local assistance program last year when it joined with a number of businesses and organisations on the 'R U Aware, We Care' campaign, which saw more than $1.5 million of funds distributed through the Salvation Army.
More could be done if the federal government would provide support for current and future measures to assist regional areas during the drought.
- TRC governance manager Karen Litchfield
It was also one of 60 councils to receive $1 million from the federal government to help with infrastructure projects in drought-affected communities.
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With the conditions yet to substantially improve, a report to be considered by councillors says "more could be done".
"Many councils, including Tamworth Regional Council, have recently introduced schemes to allow farmers to access a limited amount of treated water free of charge but these options are expensive and add an additional level of expenses to councils, many of which are already under financial stress," the report by governance manager Karen Litchfield said.
"More could be done if the federal government would provide support for current and future measures to assist regional areas during the drought."
At last year's national council conference, Tamworth pushed for the government to "guarantee the preservation of landing slots at major metropolitan airports" from regional centres.
It also called on the government to help address the "pilot shortage" facing airlines.