Drought taking toll on Bourke region farmers
Posted
The chairman of the Federal Government's expert panel looking at social issues related to drought says many western New South Wales communities are "depressed" and residents are leaving to find work elsewhere.
The panel has held forums in Bourke, Gilgandra, Forbes and Goulburn to seek feedback on the drought and support offered to producers.
Chairman Peter Kenney says farmers in the Bourke region are "distressed".
"The cotton growing has stopped, a lot of their tree crops are dying, they can't irrigate, there is no work available in Bourke itself and as a result people are either leaving the town or hoping that things might change," he said.
