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Government must implement Natural Disaster assistance following dust storms
27-September-2009
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Government must implement Natural Disaster assistance following dust storms
The dust storms suffered in New South Wales this week must be considered a natural disaster and emergency assistance given to those who have been impacted, Federal MP, Sussan Ley said.
“The dust storms in the Western Division of NSW have ripped every shred of vegetation from some properties leaving paddocks looking like deserts on the moon”.
“Roads have been destroyed, fodder buried and stock have died in the paddocks where they were standing. No-one has seen anything like this before in these areas and it is soul destroying and after years of drought many of these landholders have nowhere else to turn” Ms Ley said.
“Last Friday, I hand delivered a letter to the office of the Federal Attorney-General, in his capacity as the Minister responsible for Emergency Management in Australia, asking that he work with the NSW State Government to implement this as a matter of urgency.” Ms Ley said.
Under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, the application for assistance must be made to the Attorney-General from the NSW Government and to that end I have also written to the NSW Minister for Emergency Services.
Sussan Ley will be touring the Western areas of the Farrer electorate this week to see first hand the impact and will be holding a public meeting at Nundooka Station via Broken Hill on Friday 2 October 2009 at 1230pm EST
“I encourage anyone who needs immediate assistance to contact my electorate offices either in Broken Hill or Albury and to try to make it to the meeting”. Ms Ley said
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Media contact: Debbie Brown (02) 60213264 0428 297 699