NSW and ACT

Drought affected areas can be either exceptional circumstances (EC) or prima facie declared.

All farmers in EC declared areas are eligible to apply for the full range of drought assistance, including income support payments and interest rate subsidies. Farmers in prima facie areas can apply for up to six months of interim income support.

Agriculture dependent small businesses that derive at least 70 per cent of their turnover from farms in EC declared areas are eligible to apply for income support payments and interest rate subsidies. Agriculture-dependent small businesses that derive at least 70 per cent of their turnover from farms in prima facie areas can apply for up to six months of interim income support.

Note: If your small business: is located in a town that is substantially reliant on farm incomes and has a population of 10,000 or less; and is in an EC area (including prima facie areas); and can demonstrate a significant downturn in income due to the drought, you may be eligible for assistance.

For more information about eligibility criteria for agriculture-dependent small businesses see Small Businesses or read the small business fact sheet PDF [125kb]

Drought assistance income support payments are delivered by Centrelink on behalf of the Australian Government and are taxable. Farmers and agriculture-dependent small businesses should not self-assess their eligibility for income support but should call the Drought Assistance Hotline on 13 23 16.

For more information on EC interest rate subsidies please contact your state rural assistance authority.

Map of NSW

Select your area from the map below or the menu at left for specific information about EC areas, maps, basic EC assistance eligibility criteria and expiry deadlines.

Download the NSW map PDF [597kb]

Note: If you are experiencing problems viewing or printing a map, try saving it to your desktop first. To do this, right click on the map and select 'Save Target As', 'Save File As' or 'Save Picture As'. If you are still experiencing problems please email Climate Change.