THE emphasis of drought assistance was very much on northern NSW and Queensland in last week's budget, but Victoria's farmers will also benefit through funding of the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS), to ensure its service delivery beyond June 30.
The federal budget contained $1.8 million for the RFCS for drought assistance in NSW, Queensland and, also, confirmed to Stock & Land, for areas showing the effects of creeping drought in Victoria.
The money is part of a suite of changes to the RFCS and is additional to the core commitment for 2015/2016, of $14.294 million.
But, as part of changes to RFCS funding, 10 per cent of the core money each year will be held aside for emergency relief grants.
The budget commitment is only until the end of this year, at this point, subject to the outcomes of a competitive tender process to be completed by January 1, 2016.
It comes on the back of a funding commitment from the Victorian Government of $1.54 million to ensure core services continue locally until June 2016.
Many of the RFCS deliverers are unsure of their futures, as they wait to receive the tender documents and take on board what changes are expected.
The review of the RFCS last year saw the National Rural Advisory Council recommend 33 changes but Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce agreed to 26 modifications.
The Commonwealth Agriculture Department is currently preparing tender documents.
A spokesperson for Mr Joyce said he would be led by farmers about what the service would look like and what services it would deliver into the future.
The spokesperson said Mr Joyce had stressed with the department how important it was to not allow additional delays in the tender process, due to be resolved by January 1.
Rationalising service delivery includes moving counsellors to areas of high need.
From July 1 last year, rationalising meant case management for farmers receiving Farm Household Allowance became Centrelink's responsibility.
Victoria has five RFCS deliverers, NSW has four, Queensland has two and Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania each have one.
There are 31 counsellors throughout Victoria, with the focus at present on drought impacted cropping regions in the state's west.
The manager of one of the counselling services, RFCS Gippsland chief executive Peter Jennings said the funding allowed the service to continue in the short-term, but said longer-term the future was still unclear.
"We began canvassing our options 18 months ago but what type of entity we favour depends on the tender documents," he said.
"The federal budget extended service delivery for six months to December 31 this year and the State Government to June 30 next year.
"Otherwise the service would have had to wind up by July 1 this year.
"Now we know we can continue to provide the service until January 1, in the current guise.
"Next year, the service will continue, just maybe with a different provider."
The Andrews' Government's funding commitment to ensure core service delivery, announced at Leongatha last week by Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford, was welcomed by RFCS providers.
Ms Pulford said the State Government expected rural financial counselling service delivery would continue to meet farmers' needs.
"The RFCS provides an invaluable service helping people to continue within agriculture production," Ms Pulford said.
"This funding will help facilitate that continuity."
