Singleton is much loved for the amount of coal export dollars it earns and mining royalties it provides but when it comes to receiving any government funding we simply appear to be ignored.
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Yesterday we reported on the fact that for the last two years Singleton Local Government Area (LGA) has received no funding from the Resources for Regions program - a program designed specifically to assist mining impacted communities.
Today Singleton Mayor Sue Moore has released a statement saying people in our local government area are suffering in this drought, just as people are suffering across Australia.
"Yet Singleton continues to be overlooked while other areas - including our neighbours in Muswellbrook, and rightly so - are recognised and supported through this time of hardship," she said.
"Singleton has a successful and proud agricultural industry which continues to play an important role both socially and economically, and we have farmers doing it tough who are equally deserving of government assistance.
"The Federal Government initiatives announced yesterday are welcome support for the real people on the land who are feeling the impacts of one of the worst droughts on record, and it would be an easy demonstration of support for Singleton to be eligible for the funding available.
"We know there are projects that can be done in Singleton to support drought-affected properties to develop and enhance drinking water assets to build longer-term resilience and redundancy so that when the next dry spell comes, the impacts won't be so pronounced.
I'm furious the people of the Singleton local government area don't rate as being as affected as some of our neighbouring areas, and I invite the Prime Minister Scott Morison to come to Singleton to see the impacts of this drought for himself, and to meet with the people his Government has again failed to recognise."
Apparently the reason Singleton missed out on any drought assistance is the fact we are 'too mining orientated' because only 11.1 per cent of our workforce is involved in agriculture and benchmark to receive funding is a workforce of 17 per cent in agriculture.
Given nearly 10,000 mine industry workers drive-in and drive-out of Singleton each day the question must be asked what impact does that workforce, not living the our LGA, have on the benchmark for drought assistance?
Louise Nichols
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
