Murray-Darling Basin Initiative

On this page

• Murray-Darling Basin Service Delivery Coordination Unit
• Murray-Darling Basin map - Centrelink service points
• What help is available
• More information

As part of the 2007-08 Budget, the Australian Government announced specific measures to assist farmers, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry in the Murray-Darling Basin facing the prospect of low water allocations from 1 July 2007.

The Murray-Darling Basin contains 11% of the Australian population and almost 43% of the total number of farms across Australia. The Basin has a diverse community that includes producers of dairy, grain and fruit. The ongoing drought and changes to water allocation have impacted heavily on this region.

Dry conditions and reduced water availability for irrigators persist throughout the Murray-Darling Basin. The first quarter of 2009 marked another record low for water inflows and accordingly overall Murray-Darling Basin active water storage remains correspondingly low. Many irrigators throughout the southern Murray-Darling Basin will finish the 2008/2009 season with sustained record low water allocations.

The ongoing drought and changes to water allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin region means many farmers, farm families, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry in this region are now eligible for a range of Australian Government drought assistance measures.

This support includes:

• the Australian Government Murray-Darling Basin Assistance and Referral Line FreeCALL™ 1800 050 015
• an additional 8 Centrelink specialist Rural Services Officers who will provide a range of services direct to those in the Murray-Darling Basin region
• an additional 15 Centrelink Social Workers/Psychologists who will work in the region with farmers and their families and local communities, and
• additional Rural Financial Counselling services to the region to assist primary producers in financial difficulty in these times of hardship.

Murray-Darling Basin Service Delivery Coordination Unit

The Murray-Darling Basin Service Delivery Coordination Unit was established as part of the Federal Government’s 2007-08 Budget commitments. The unit will coordinate services, create links with other government and non-government agencies and provide a focus on enabling those affected by the drought or changes to water allocations to move forward.

The unit will coordinate the additional 15 Social Workers/Psychologists and 8 Rural Services Officers. A key feature of the unit will be the collaborative approach it takes to ensuring excellence in service delivery and in the provision of information and referrals.

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Murray-Darling Basin map - Centrelink service points

To find out where Centrelink service points are in the Murray-Darling Basin, view the map below:

• Centrelink Offices within the Murray-Darling Basin Region [Map, 1 page, PDF: 434KB]

For address details and opening hours, refer to the Visit Us section of this website.

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What help is available

For information about the assistance available to farmers, agriculturally-dependent small businesses, irrigators and industry affected by the ongoing drought and changes to the water allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin region, refer to the Australian Government Drought Assistance page.

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More information

• View the Murray-Darling Basin Irrigation Management Grant.
• View the Drought Assistance Factsheets.
• View Useful Centrelink Information.
• Phone the Murray-Darling Basin Assistance and Referral Line on FreeCALL™1800 050 015 or the Farmer Assistance Line on FreeCALL™1800 050 585.
• View the Minister for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Murray-Darling Basin media releases.

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