AWU Submission to the National Drought Policy Review

Below is the AWU's submission to the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry National Drought Policy Review.

A. The Australian Workers' Union

The Australian Workers' Union, Australia's oldest general union, started in 1886 as the Amalgamated Shearers Union. Today, the AWU represents more than 130,000 members across Australia in a diverse range of industries. Our members build railways, work in underground mines, they mill paper and they asphalt roads. They also farm fish and grow tobacco. Some of the major industries in which our members work include: pastoral and agricultural, aluminium, aviation, oil and gas, mining, construction and steel.
The AWU is the largest union outside metropolitan Australia.

B. General Comments

The AWU welcomes the opportunity to provide comment of the current system of drought assistance provided by government.

As a general proposition, the AWU supports the provision of assistance to those affected by extreme drought. However, the AWU believes that such assistance is currently targeted too narrowly, and that rural workers facing long periods of unemployment as a result of extreme drought should be eligible for assistance similar to that provided to farming families.

At present, farming families affected by drought receive a wide range of assistance - including interest rate subsidies, income support and access to health care cards, family payments, youth allowance and AUSTUDY.

Conversely rural workers impacted by drought are generally subject to the same regime as the unemployed in general, except that:

• there are streamlined processes to facilit