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ABC News
16 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
SA councils call for financial relief as rural debt mountain grows
Crippling debt is growing by the day for drought-stricken South Australian farms with local councils pleading for state government intervention in the form of rate relief. Despite recent rains, the past three years of poor rain have seen farmers continue to borrow to cover their overheads. After 90 per cent of his crops failed last year, Appila farmer Andrew Zanker, in South Australia's Mid North, said he was reliant on loans to pay bills. "Everything that we pay [for bills] at the moment increases our debt month by month," he said. By the end of the year, Mr Zanker expects he will be overdrawn by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Dean Johnson, Kimba mayor and president of the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association (EPLGA), said providing council hardship relief was difficult because local governments were already "battling" sustainability issues. "We want to support our primary producers as much as we can, but we've still got to provide the services that they need to keep their communities growing," he said. According to the Essential Services Commission of South Australia, the District Council of Tumby Bay and the Flinders Ranges Council are unsustainable or projected to remain unsustainable. Despite the findings, Flinders Ranges Council Mayor Ken Anderson said it was trying to alleviate as much financial pressure as possible. "Our focus is on trying to make savings in these hard times, across the board for everybody," he said. Mr Anderson said that, although the budget had not been finalised, his council was hoping to limit its rate rise to below 4 per cent. Both the EPLGA and Flinders Alliance of Councils have called on the state government to provide further and more targeted support to assist councils and primary producers. In a letter to Premier Peter Malinauskas, the Flinders Alliance called for a 12-month waiver of state government-imposed levies and taxes, such as the landscape levy and emergency services levy. The alliance has also requested that the state government subsidise rates for affected local governments. "For those councils with primary producers that can demonstrate financial hardship resulting in the inability to pay rates, the state government [should] 'spot' councils for the rates that cannot be paid," the letter read. The request echoed similar calls from the EPLGA that said in a letter to the government that councils were "bearing the cost" of certain hardship measures, such as deferring rate obligations. "These additional financial pressures further strain council resources, which are limited," it said. Streaky Bay farmer Dion Trezona said deferred or delayed payments still represented a bill for landholders and impacted councils' cash flow. "Especially for your prime production land holders, those rates should just be picked up by the state government just to give us a hand … and not have another bill come through your household," he said. Minister for Primary Industries Clare Scriven said the government was open to the idea, but it would mean one of the 20 different streams of grant funding available under the $73-million support package would have to be cut. "We developed that with primary producers, with peak bodies and with regional stakeholders," Ms Scriven said. "It was based on the feedback that we were hearing about what was needed by farmers and by regional communities. "It's not clear to me where anyone thinks that should be cut to be able to fund this, so I guess that's something that would need to be clarified."
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
South Australian drought sets low-rainfall records in farming areas
All of South Australia's agricultural areas are in a severe drought, with many locations receiving record-low rainfall over the past 12 months. The Mid North and the upper Eyre Peninsula have had the least rainfall and the majority of the record lows, although no place in the southern part of the state is unaffected, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology. While farmers were able to harvest a good crop in 2024–25 because of sub-soil moisture from previous wet years, the ground is now bone dry. The Mid North town of Snowtown received a record-low amount of rain in 2024, and over the past 12 months the figure is even lower at 209 millimetres. Only 26mm has been recorded at the town's weather station since the start of the year. Snowtown sheep and mixed cropping farmer Andrew Michael has seeded in the hope of rain coming. "We have no sub-soil moisture left, which has got us through now for the last two-and-a-half [years] prior to this … but the loss if we don't get a grain year will be a massive impact," he said. His family also owns properties in Meningie and Willalooka, in the South East, which have also recorded extremely low rainfall. Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Jonathan Pollock said South Australia's drought was not particularly long-lasting or widespread like the 1997–2009 millennium drought, but it was quite deep. "It certainly is record-breaking in the sense that for a lot of the agricultural areas they have never seen a 16-month period from February to the following year's May with rainfall this low — and that's looking at data going all the way back to 1900," Mr Pollock said. He said it was caused by the atmosphere above the state being dominated by slow-moving high-pressure systems rather than cooler systems that brought rain with them. "Part of the reason why is we've seen a shift towards drier conditions across south-eastern Australia in recent decades and we're seeing more frequent periods of below-average rainfall and especially for the cool-season months from April through to October," he said. "This is due to a combination of natural variability on longer timescales but also changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation largely driven by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions." The bureau's latest seasonal climate summary says the mean temperature across South Australia in autumn was 21.3 degrees Celsius, or 1.75C above the 1961–1990 average and the third warmest on record for all autumns since 1910. Better farming practices that make the most of sub-soil moisture led to a 5.2-million-tonne grain harvest in 2024–25. That was 40 per cent below the five-year average but 80 per cent above what was reaped in 2006–07 — another drought year. Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) general manager for industrial partnerships and intelligence Matthew Palmer said the productivity increase over the past 20 years was "quite remarkable and a testament to producers and the research and development that supports the grains industry". "It's certainly been a very challenging season and it continues to be, but the result overall is quite remarkable compared with what would have happened in droughts in years gone by," he told the South Australian Country Hour. Ninety-year-old Vic Smith has kept rainfall records in Nangwarry since 1985, when he moved to the town to work at the timber mill. He recorded 102mm of rain until the end of May — similar to last year but about half the normal amount. He said he was worried about the conditions of plantation forests. "It's dangerously dry," Mr Smith said. Mr Smith started calling into the ABC in 1999 to report his rainfall records while at the same time promoting the Nangwarry Forestry Museum where he volunteered until last year. He has not given up his habit despite retiring. "It's something you can look back on and compare year by year, which I do. And, if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't have realised how much drier it was this year than other years," he said.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Sara Garcia
Thousands of South Australian households and businesses are without power as the clean-up continues after the gusty winds, high rainfalls and high tides that lashed most of the state yesterday. 4m ago 4 minutes ago Tue 27 May 2025 at 12:30am Liberal defeats in the South Australian key battleground seats of Sturt and Boothby have prompted a scathing assessment from former senator Simon Birmingham, who said his party was in "rock bottom" territory. Sat 3 May Sat 3 May Sat 3 May 2025 at 12:37pm South Australia's ongoing dry conditions are being blamed for a power outage affecting more than 20,000 households and businesses across the Yorke Peninsula and parts of the Mid North. Fri 14 Mar Fri 14 Mar Fri 14 Mar 2025 at 7:45am Cricket Australia has confirmed the Sheffield Shield final will not be played at Adelaide Oval, saying on its website the AFL had blocked use of the iconic venue. Fri 14 Mar Fri 14 Mar Fri 14 Mar 2025 at 1:07am Whyalla's steelworks has gone into administration for the second time in under a decade. Here is a look at how events have unfolded in the city in recent years. Sat 22 Feb Sat 22 Feb Sat 22 Feb 2025 at 8:07pm Steele Hall's parliamentary career stretched more than 33 years, including stints in both the federal and state parliaments. Mon 10 Jun Mon 10 Jun Mon 10 Jun 2024 at 9:25pm The state government says this year's budget will focus on supporting South Australians who need it most as it pledges a $266.2 million cost-of-living package — while also keeping the budget in the black. Here's a look at the winners and losers of this year's budget. Thu 6 Jun Thu 6 Jun Thu 6 Jun 2024 at 6:29am Former Adelaide Crows captain Rory Sloane announces his retirement from the AFL after 255 games over 16 seasons, following a second round of surgery on a detached retina earlier this year. Mon 29 Apr Mon 29 Apr Mon 29 Apr 2024 at 4:51am The South Australian government is offering some live music venues the opportunity to apply for $60,000 grants to help revive the industry that was "decimated" during COVID. But one venue owner says it might not be enough to save the live music scene. Fri 12 Jan Fri 12 Jan Fri 12 Jan 2024 at 3:36am Promoters of a two-day South Australian music festival say they have been forced to postpone the event just weeks before it was scheduled to take place because of "economic pressures". Thu 11 Jan Thu 11 Jan Thu 11 Jan 2024 at 5:09am Jacinta Davila, who had been co-accused of murdering prominent Adelaide doctor Michael Yung during an alleged home invasion, has been granted home-detention bail. Fri 22 Dec Fri 22 Dec Fri 22 Dec 2023 at 1:11pm Two former immigration detainees released into South Australia after a High Court ruling are registered child sex offenders — and a third person is in custody over an alleged indecent assault, police have revealed. Tue 5 Dec Tue 5 Dec Tue 5 Dec 2023 at 3:42am Slain SA Police officer Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig has been remembered as kind, caring and a "much loved" member of his community, in a public funeral at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Mon 4 Dec Mon 4 Dec Mon 4 Dec 2023 at 3:04am On the one hand, is a $3 billion development to accommodate thousands of families. On the other, is a burial site that is of immeasurable cultural significance. The problem? They are both on the same ground. Tue 14 Nov Tue 14 Nov Tue 14 Nov 2023 at 9:29pm This suburban park in Adelaide's north-east used to resemble a small forest, filled with hundreds of well-established pine trees — but it has been left decimated thanks to an exotic pest. Tue 19 Sep Tue 19 Sep Tue 19 Sep 2023 at 1:59am After seeing how quickly her son Khye succumbed to the disease, Nicole Hammat wants young people to be more aware of meningococcal and is pleading for the B strain vaccine to be made accessible to more people. Sun 13 Aug Sun 13 Aug Sun 13 Aug 2023 at 8:25pm An Adelaide barbershop that bans women from entering its premises in order to provide its clients with a "male sanctuary" has applied for an exemption to the Equal Opportunity Act. Mon 7 Aug Mon 7 Aug Mon 7 Aug 2023 at 1:31am The number of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases have jumped close to 10 times higher in some states across Australia when compared to last year. Experts say COVID complacency and higher testing rates could be why. Thu 6 Jul Thu 6 Jul Thu 6 Jul 2023 at 5:30am SA Police suspect two elderly people, who died one year apart, may have been murdered by the same person after abnormalities in both of their toxicology reports were found. Thu 29 Jun Thu 29 Jun Thu 29 Jun 2023 at 9:28am The state government will pour billions of dollars into fixing its troubled health system and abolish stamp duty for some first-home buyers — but it comes at a cost. Thu 15 Jun Thu 15 Jun Thu 15 Jun 2023 at 8:02am Australian man Jason Kennison dies while descending Mount Everest, a climb he had undertaken to raise money for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia. Mon 22 May Mon 22 May Mon 22 May 2023 at 1:30am A neighbour who was with Sean Ferris minutes before he stabbed two police officers and was then shot dead says the incident should never has escalated to this — as homemade weapons and a Samurai sword are removed from the property. Thu 4 May Thu 4 May Thu 4 May 2023 at 8:54am Unless you've lived in South Australia you probably have no idea what Stobie poles are, or why they are so iconic to their home state. Here's a look. Fri 31 Mar Fri 31 Mar Fri 31 Mar 2023 at 1:13am South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas has conceded he does not expect the state's First Nations Voice to Parliament to lead to sudden improvements but hopes that "over years and decades to come, there is some positive change". Mon 27 Mar Mon 27 Mar Mon 27 Mar 2023 at 7:51pm Thousands of people are without power across Adelaide as wild winds continue to lash the city. Mon 20 Mar Mon 20 Mar Mon 20 Mar 2023 at 4:04am
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Farmers say only a 'good, wet winter' will break drought conditions across SA
South Australian farmers have welcomed the rain but say a "one-hit wonder" will not break the drought, which is devastating parts of the state. Strong winds up to 107 kilometres per hour hit parts of the state's mainland on Monday, with much of the Mid North, Riverland and Murray Mallee experiencing significant dust storms before any rain hit. Dust storms were also reported at the northern ends of the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas. While higher rainfall totals were reported in coastal areas and around the Adelaide Hills, the Bureau of Meterology said more inland regions like the Mid North and Riverland had less than 5 millimetres. SA Dairyfarmers' Association president Rob Brokenshire said the industry was desperate for rain "but didn't need a storm like this". "We've had flooding on our paddocks that we've seeded — they're pretty bare so some washing occurring," he said. "What we wanted was a good, steady soaking of rain. "We had 20mm at Mount Compass in just 15 minutes and it flooded paddocks like you wouldn't believe. Now we've got wind, I just hope we don't get storm damage. "Hopefully our cows will be okay but they haven't seen weather like this for quite some time — that does have an impact on them." He said the rain from the storm will not be a "one-day fix" for the drought and could take farmers up to three years to get back on their feet. "What we need is a good, wet winter and a long, wet spring," he said. On the Eyre Peninsula, the storm brought little reprieve – locals have reported receiving between 5-10mm of rain. And in Poochera, a grain belt town some 60 kilometres north-east of Streaky Bay, as elsewhere in the region, the minimal rain has done little hold down the dry soil. Poochera local Rebecca Gosling said her home had 1.4mm of rain, and the storm had only brought wind which picked up the topsoil and threw it across the region. "It's just gone," Ms Gosling said. "The topsoil is just disappearing. There's no moisture holding anything down and everything's been so dry for so long. "I took video footage yesterday of a paddock we sowed a few days ago and even the furrows are gone in a day." Ms Gosling said she gave up vacuuming and sweeping at her home where the dust had become "too much to keep on top of". Grain Producer SA chief executive Brad Perry said grain producers were reliant on rain. "They'll take what they can get but given the amount of rain we've had [on Monday], it's been a bit of a fizzer to be honest," he said. "It's quite heartbreaking to see that top soil blowing around when they've just seeded. "They spent time and money putting those crops in hoping we would get the rainfall that was forecast and unfortunately we've had more wind than rain. "We need a lot of rain — this is not the breaking rain that we were hoping for."
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Major Flood Warning for Nambucca River, Nambucca River at Bowraville (Lanes Bridge) and Nambucca River at Macksville - Princess Street
In life threatening emergencies, call 000 (triple zero) immediately. If you require rescue, assistance to evacuate or other emergency help, ring NSW SES on 132 500. * Avoid drowning. Stay out of rising water, seek refuge in the highest available place. * Prevent damage to your vehicle. Move it under cover, away from areas likely to flood. * Avoid being swept away. Stay out of fast-flowing creeks and storm drains. * Never drive, ride or walk through flood water. Flood water can be deceptive and dangerous. For more emergency information, advice, and access to the latest river heights and rainfall observations and forecasts: * NSW SES: * RMS Live Traffic: * Latest River Heights and Rainfall Observations: * Latest NSW Warnings: * Rainfall Forecasts: * BOM NSW Twitter:
