A federal minister has described as "heartless" a Queensland government decision to slash a transport subsidy for farmers in the years to come.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Subsidies to help farmers cover the cost of trucking in fodder and water will be axed when their properties' drought classifications are removed.
About 65 per cent of the state is in drought.
Cutting the funds will force farmers to better prepare for drought conditions and stop them from making fiscally irresponsible decisions, Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner says.
But federal Drought Minister David Littleproud says the move will tear down communities.
"This is another senseless act from a heartless government," he said.
Properties that become drought declared after June 2020 will not get the subsidies, and those that have come out of a dry spell but are later plunged back into drought will be supported in other ways.
Australian Associated Press
