Pederick questions irrigator package
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The new Opposition River Murray spokesman, Adrian Pederick, says Riverland locals have been offered empty promises by the state and federal governments.
Irrigators told a Murray-Darling Association meeting yesterday they have got no detail on how or when they can access assistance.
A representative of the Member for Chaffey, Karlene Maywald, says the Government announced the package to save permanent plantings before the detail was ready.
Mr Pederick says it is not worth offering a half-baked package to give them some hope.
"It is no hope when there's hundreds of people that I'm aware of have already gone to the Berri drought office, cannot get any further information, so I think that is outrageous quite frankly," he said.
"I think if you're going to announce an initiative, you should be prepared when it is put out and not just the state package, but the federal package is in the same boat."
Local business owner Mark Ward attended the meeting to hear Mr Pederick and independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
Mr Ward says his building assessment business is strongly affected by the health of the irrigation industries and has already felt the impact of irrigators leaving.
Mr Ward says irrigators need more detail about assistance because they are at a crucial decision making time in the harvest cycle.
"I don't think it was very smart because now people are sitting back waiting for the rest of the detail and no-one is forthcoming with it," he said.
"I think they've got the cart before the horse a little bit, but hopefully in the near future they come up with the answers that we need."
