AUSTRALIA'S drought is gripping some of the safest farming country in the continent, Nationals leader Mark Vaile said.
Last week leading government members including Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello dragged the drought into the media spotlight with Mr Costello saying the big dry would lead to a rural recession.Mr Vaile today denied the Government had let down its rural constituents.
We can't make it rain, he told Channel 9.
Now it's much wider spread and really affecting some of the safest farming country in Australia. For example the central west in NSW is normally a very safe area for the cereal crop and they're just going to harvest nothing.
Mr Vaile said the issue of water management would continue to be debated between the Commonwealth and the states.
This issue is about helping farming families in crisis, that's what we're talking about, he said.
We will continue to have that debate with the states about managing the natural resources across Australia, but our primary focus here is to help out families in crisis.
Federal cabinet is expected this week to consider easing access to financial aid for drought plagued farmers this week.
Mr Vaile is expected to tell his cabinet colleagues the government will need to spend at least another $750 million to help farmers and their rural communities.
We want to have a look at to see if they (the current aid programs) are well enough focused, if they're timely, if the responses are quick enough, he said.
Household support is a fundamental issue so that people can just survive in their daily lives, Mr Vaile said.
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