This Wednesday, March 28, marks 12 months since Cyclone Debbie crossed the North Queensland coast. This large category 4 cyclone left a wide trail of devastation from central Queensland, through to New South Wales. Crop damage was estimated to be over $250 million with horticulture and sugar cane bearing the brunt of the storm as it crossed the coast. Further south, production nurseries suffered critical infrastructure damage and the flooding affected graziers and dairy farms in the state’s south east.
While Cyclone Debbie may have moved into the meteorological history books, its after effects are still being felt by farmers and rural communities that were impacted right up the Queensland coast. Recovering from natural disasters takes considerable time and effort.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) continues to coordinate the recovery effort for farmers by delivering an industry-wide Agricultural Recovery and Resilience project on behalf of the sector. In partnership with our industry members Canegrowers, Growcom, Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland and Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation, as well as AgForce, the project is delivering the on-farm, industry-specific support needed to ensure farmers recover in a stronger position than before the event.
The project commenced after joint federal and state government funding was secured in September 2017, six months after the event. While QFF understands and appreciates the need for government processes to be transparent and accountable, this was another example of the restrictive nature of the NDRRA process. Disaster recovery on the farm is different to other sectors of the economy, and therefore needs to be treated differently. The process must be amended if it is to better meet the needs of modern agriculture.
QFF continues its call for a ‘shovel ready’ disaster recovery program to deliver technical assistance in the initial stages after an event so resources can hit the ground running and help farming businesses start the recovery process right away.
Natural disasters are stressful and emotional times for farmers. Severe cyclones, such as Debbie, can wipe out years of hard works in minutes. The recovery process is often long, with some horticultural tree industries taking years to recover. But for many farms, total recovery isn’t possible, and they are left more vulnerable to the next event.
To reduce the effects of natural disasters and to improve resilience, we need long-term, strategic recovery planning. This will help farmers recover faster and stronger and be better prepared for future events. The desire and evidence to support an immediate and efficient on-farm recovery program are there; the government just need to support a change to the system.
The other area we need work on is insurance. Many farm businesses are unable to offset the financial impacts of catastrophic events through suitable and/or affordable insurance options. Insurance could be a useful tool for Queensland farmers to protect their businesses, but it has a long way to go.
Potential products are now starting to emerge from a QFF project and the government made an election commitment to look at removing stamp duty on insurance premiums, which would reduce the cost by 9 per cent. If we are to leverage the good work and momentum coming out of the insurance project work, the time for delivering on that commitment is now.
