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Mudgee-Merriwa
The exceptional circumstances declaration for the Mudgee-Merriwa area was recently extended by
the Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
All producers in the declared area are eligible to apply for income support payments and interest rate subsidies.
Agriculture-dependent small business operators who derive 70 per cent of their turnover from agriculture in any EC declared area are also eligible to apply for income support payments and interest rate subsidies.
Producers and small business operators should not self-assess their eligibility for income support but should call the Drought Assistance Hotline on 13 23 16.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 and interim assistance areas); and can demonstrate a significant downturn in income due to the drought, you may be eligible for assistance.
For more information on interest rate subsidies please contact your state rural assistance authority.
All producers and small business operators should note the following deadlines:
| Applicant | EC Relief Payment expiry | EC Interest Rate Subsidy Applications Close |
|---|---|---|
| Producers Small Businesses |
31 March 2009 | Year 1: 23 October 2007 Year 2: 30 September 2008* Year 3: 31 March 2009* |
* A 28-day grace period applies to the closing date for EC Interest Rate Subsidy applications.
Area Description
The Mudgee-Merriwa EC declared area covers the following Divisions of the Mudgee-Merriwa Rural Lands Protection Board: all of Division C; all of Division G; that part of Division E north and north-west of the Ulan to Gulgong road and the Gulgong to Wellington road to its junction with the Cudgegong River; that part of Division F east of a line commencing in Rylstone at the junction of Tongbong Road and the Bylong Valley Way, and running generally northerly along the Bylong Valley Way to the Great Dividing Range at “The Gulph”, then by that Range generally north westerly to the Mudgee/Cassilis Road at Cooks Gap, then by the Mudgee to Cassilis road to Ulan; and that part of Division H generally to the south of a line commencing on the Division's boundary at the junction of the Hill End Road and Windeyer Road at Grattai, then generally south easterly along Windeyer Road to its junction with Queens Pinch Road, then by that road to its junction with the Bocoble Road, then by that road south easterly to its junction with Limestone Road (unformed), by that road to its junction with the Castlereagh Highway, then by that Highway generally south easterly to its junction with the Cudgegong Road, then by that road to Rylstone.
Buffer Zone
A Buffer Zone covers eligible producers whose properties are wholly or partly within a 7 kilometre wide area north of the boundary between Grattai and Rylstone, and west of the boundary between Rylstone and Ulan, and where in the opinion of Centrelink the farm enterprise has suffered a downturn in income caused by the EC event.
Download the Mudgee-Merriwa EC declared area map 
PDF [427kb]