Weatherzone, By: Anna Vidot, 05/06/2013
The national farm lobby says Australia's drought reform agreement is a good step forward, but leaves the biggest policy questions unresolved. State, territory and federal agriculture ministers met on Friday and signed off on the National Drought Program reform, that solidified their support for five principles first outlined last October.
Those include a commitment to drought preparedness over crisis management, tax reform through the Farm Management Deposit scheme, household support payments and better social service and training provisions. But the National Farmers Federation's Brent Finlay says the crucial details about all of that, as well as what support will be available to farmers in a drought, still isn't there.
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