SOME of the nation's most drought-battered regions have officially moved out of nearly a decade of exceptional circumstances, with assistance being wound up in many outback regions thanks to two years of seasonal improvements.
The Government this morning has announced its decision for 19 regions across Queensland, NSW, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia where EC applications were due to expire mid-June.
While there were extensions of EC in three areas, and a re-jigging of boundaries in many more to extend help to farmers who have missed out on the seasonal recovery seen in the region, there were still 16 regions where there had been a substantial recovery across some or all of the area.
This big decision comes as the Government puts the final touches on major reforms to drought assistance, however suggestions assistance will finish in many areas so the government can more easily introduce the changes have been vehemently rejected.
The announcement includes the Bourke area, in western NSW, which has been EC declared since mid-2001 when the drought set in soon after the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Several outback regions in Queensland have also been assessed as having made a recovery from drought, but there is still going to be an extension of assistance within some of those regions and boundaries will be changed to reflect the patchiness of the recovery.
Farmers in the re-jigged boundaries will get a further 12 months of exceptional circumstances payments, and their situation will be reassessed in another year's time.
There is also transitional help for eligible farmers once their EC declaration expires.
The National Rural Advisory Council, led by NSW Liverpool Plains farmer Keith Perrett, advised the Government of the recovery in many areas.
But Mr Perrett stipulated not all farmers in all regions had experienced a break, and they would still need to receive help.
He said the drought is finally over for many farmers but cautioned there was a lot of variability and many farmers were still struggling from a series of back-to-back seasons where there had been little or no rain.
"We've had some producers tell us they've had some extremely positive cash incomes for the first time in many years," Mr Perrett said.
"But as we move into southern NSW, Victoria and South Australia we see farmers have really struggled over the last few seasons.
"In Queensland there has been a revision of a number of boundaries to try and reflect where variability has been because the one thing that stood out as we moved into a very strong recovery phase was the clear presence of variability.
"In one area we could find not bad and even average crops, yet down the road we'd see a tract of country that has not had the opportunity to have those crops.
"It's been an extremely difficult task this time to maintain some credibility in the system so those in a recovery phase who should not receive assistance are not included while trying to capture those producers that have missed out and not had the opportunities to take advantages of some reasonable seasonal conditions, and ensure they still receive assistance."
Mr Perrett stressed that NRAC don't look at financial recovery because that could vary so much between industries and individual enterprises.
Assessments were made purely on climatic and seasonal grounds.
He said comments that assistance was lapsing in many areas so it would be easier to introduce the Government's new drought reform program, most likely next year, were absolutely wrong.
"That is not the way NRAC conducts its business. Let me give an absolute guarantee," Mr Perrett said.
"The new system is not in yet and until it is the old system operates."
Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, said the Government recognised the current drought support system was not working for farmers and details of its reforms would be released later in the year.
"The system of lines on a map means that one farmer may be eligible while their neighbour on the other side of the fence is not," Mr Burke said.
Federal Member for Maranoa, Queensland Nationals MP Bruce Scott, said he thinks the decision was pretty right, reflecting areas where there had been a recovery, but also changing the boundaries to help those farmers where there hadn't been the same bounce back.
Mr Scott said there was still a vast area of his massive electorate that "in no way" could be considered out of drought" and he hopes the new boundaries in Queensland adequately reflect the seasonal variability with appropriate buffer zones.
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