Bushfire Recovery Grant – Primary Producers
11 March, 2020
This support was announced in January 2020.
The application process and required documents are being simplified.
It is for primary producers in fire affected Local Government Areas (Category C).
Directly affected primary producers only (including farmers, fishers, private foresters and beekeepers).
Purpose: Help with direct impacts of the bushfire (damage from fire or smoke).
Key points: Grants of up to $75,000. This includes the $15,000 grant available to primary producers under Category C arrangements.
Spend it on: Cleaning up and harvesting damaged crops.
Fodder and water, sheds, fencing and agricultural equipment, where those needs are not covered by existing insurance policies.
You apply for the primary producer grants through your state government.
- Apply for a primary producer grant in New South Wales: call 1800 678 593 or visit the NSW Rural Assistance Authority website
- Apply for a primary producer grant in Queensland: call 1800 623 946 or visit the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority website
- Apply for a primary producer grant in South Australia: call 1800 931 314 or visit the Primary Industries and Regions SA website
- Apply for a primary producer grant in Victoria: call 1800 260 425 or visit the Rural Finance website
Primary producers can also visit Farm Hub for information on available bushfire assistance.
To be eligible for a primary producer grant, you must:
- earn more than 50 per cent of your income from primary production
- spend part of your labour on primary production
- have been carrying on your business at the time of the fires
- not be a corporation.
If you don’t earn more than 50 per cent of your income from primary production, you may still be eligible if:
- you can show you will earn 50 per cent of your income from primary production within 3 years, or
- you can show you would ordinarily earn more than 50 per cent of your income from primary production but this has been affected by drought, or is due to long lead times to full production and
- in both cases, you earn less than $100,000 in “off-farm” income.
Should an initial application be for less than the maximum grant amount, additional applications may be submitted.
