Natural Disaster Transport Subsidy

To be eligible for the subsidy, you must be a primary producer, as an individual, trust, company or other primary production enterprise that: 

• has a right or interest in a farm enterprise (this can include a lessee) or a Class A aquaculture permit covering oysters
• contributes a part of his, her or its labour and capital to the primary production enterprise
• derives at least 50% of his, her or its income from the primary production enterprise
• has assets that have suffered direct damage by the declared natural disaster
• has an active Australian Business Number (ABN) at the time of the declared natural disaster
• has a primary production enterprise located within a local government area (LGA) impacted by the declared natural disaster. 

Primary producers are defined as those that are listed under the Australian New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 2006 (ANZSIC) 1292.0 (Revision 2.0) codes:

• 01 (Agriculture)
• 02 (Aquaculture)
• 03 (Forestry and Logging)
• 04 (Fishing, Hunting and Trapping) and
• 05 (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Support Services).  

• Individuals or organisations that are not primary producers.
• Intensive industries such as piggeries, poultry units or feedlots where stock are purchased, fattened and sold.
• Backgrounding operations where stock is fattened prior to move into a feedlot.

An eligible primary producer or primary production enterprise can claim a maximum subsidy of $15,000 (GST-exclusive) in one financial year, regardless of how many parcels of land or aquaculture leases for oysters they operate and whether the declared natural disaster spans one or two financial years.  

The subsidy will be paid for road transport (for fodder, water, stock and bees) or water-based movements using a vessel (for oysters) at a rate of 50% of the total amount (GST-exclusive) paid to the carrier or specified costs for an owner-driver.

A maximum distance of 1500km applies for road transport. 

Note: Drought is no longer a declared natural disaster.

Transporting fodder to properties

• The movement of fodder must be to a landholder’s property, a travelling stock reserve, or leased or agisted property.
• Fodder must only be obtained to feed disaster-affected stock, including bees. The subsidy is payable for genuine smaller vehicle movements within a property where the initial vehicle transporting the fodder to the property is too large to transport the fodder to the appropriate storage location on the property. In these situations, the owner must sign a statutory declaration to this effect.  

Transporting stock to sale, slaughter or to and from agistment

• The subsidy is available for loaded travel portions only.
• Stock can be transported to agistment up to 3 months after the declared natural disaster.
• If the stock owner is forced to move stock off the agistment property, additional claims will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• The stock owner must have no prior arrangement/agreement or contract to sell or otherwise dispose of the stock to the owner of an agistment property.
• Stock consigned to a feedlot on maintenance rations will be assessed case-by-case.
• The minimum load must be equivalent to 70 dry sheep equivalents (DSE). Loads of less than 70 DSE will be assessed on a case-by-case basis (e.g. transporting bulls). 

Transporting stock drinking water

• The subsidy for transporting stock drinking water is only available if water is carted from the nearest practicable source.
• The minimum movement is 1000L per movement, and only one movement per day will be subsidised.
• Water cartage to stock on a travelling stock reserve or agistment property is eligible for subsidy. 

Transporting bees

• Claimants must sign a statutory declaration that the movement of beehives is not part of their usual management practices and is entirely a result of a declared natural disaster.
• Bees can be transported up to 3 months after the declared natural disaster.
• The subsidy is available for loaded travel portions only.
• The movement of the hives to a third site will be subsidised if it can be demonstrated that this movement was not part of the beekeeper’s usual practices and is a result of there being a shortage of feed at the second site.
• The minimum load for transporting bees must be over 1t.

Owner-drivers

• Owner-driver claims for over 100km require a copy of log book entries to be submitted with the claim.
• An owner-driver payment will be provided according to the distance rate table provided in the program guidelines.  
• A copy of the registration certificate for the vehicle used for transport must be provided with the claim. 
• Rates for owner-drivers are based on commercial transport rates but are calculated not to include the cost of the applicant’s time, labour or margin for profit. 

Transporting oysters by owner-carriers

• If a primary production enterprise has already claimed $15,000 (GST-exclusive) in one financial year for this type of assistance, whether on one or more parcels of land, for one or more declared natural disasters, they are ineligible for this assistance.
• Intensive industries such as piggeries, poultry units or feedlots, where stock is purchased, fattened and sold, and where stock is fattened before moving into a feedlot.
• Transporting fodder weighing less than 1t.
• Labour, fixed costs or profit if you use your own transport to move stock to agistment.
• The movement of stock that is not fit to travel (stock owners must always comply with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (NSW) provisions.
• Transporting water for irrigation.
• Travel over 1500km for road transport.
• Movements from an aquaculture lease for oysters that are not within a declared natural disaster local government area.
• Owner-carrier movements to repair damaged infrastructure.
• Associated movements by forklifts, cranes, or associated apparatus.
• Fencing and other materials to assist with the containment of stock after a declared natural disaster. 

Open and close dates vary, depending on the date that a natural disaster declaration is confirmed in a particular Local Government Area (LGA). Please refer to the Rural Assistance Authority's Declarations webpage for specific open and close dates relevant to your LGA.