GUNNEDAH RURAL COUNSELLING SERVICE

Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [5.44 p.m.]: Today I detail a critical situation facing the Gunnedah Rural Counselling Service, which is based in the north-west of the State. With conditions deteriorating rapidly from marginal to drought, the need for this service is as vital today as it was at the time of its genesis in 1988. The current drought is recognised as one of the longest and most severe in the State's history with farmers at their wits end economically and emotionally. The north-west is experiencing one of its driest periods in recent history with Tamworth, Barraba, Gunnedah and Armidale registering between zero and 1 millimetre of rain in April. With scant falls recorded in the months prior, there is a valid concern that little to no subsoil moisture is available for planting winter crops.

That is the climate in which the Gunnedah Rural Counselling Service, one of the longest serving in New South Wales, is operating. Supported by a strong voluntary committee, the sole counsellor, Mr Pat Gaynor, has provided a free service to help farmers with financial aspects of farm business for the past 17 years. Mr Gaynor covers an enormous area, including all of the new Tamworth Regional Council area, the Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains local government areas and parts of the Narrabri and Warrumbungle shires. Without the service, its hard to know who the region's farmers would turn to in times of financial need. It is a confronting topic, but according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare more than 2,000 Australian men commit suicide every year. Disturbingly, the rate is higher among males living in rural and remote areas, with those aged between 20 and 44 and over 70 years at the highest risk.

A study entitled "Suicide in Australian Farming 1988-1997" revealed that during the study period, 921 suicides were recorded of farm managers and labourers. That equated to one suicide every four days, almost as frequent as work-related farm deaths. While the research did not examine the reasons it pointed to stressors in farming communities such as financial, administrative, legislative, production and family pressures. While Mr Gaynor has not personally dealt with the loss of a client, he is aware of farmers in the north-west who have taken their lives. His comment was:

No counsellor hasn't been touched by this issue, farmers are in pain and they just want to get rid of it, unfortunately some feel there is no other option.

While the Rural Counselling Service is designed to give options to landholders and farmers facing financial hardship, it provides much more. As the human face of the Gunnedah Rural Counselling Service, Mr Gaynor is indeed a friend. He is a person with whom farmers believe they can move onto deeper issues if they can discuss matters as sensitive as finance. In its 17 years the Gunnedah service has assisted 1,070 farmers with a normal year attracting about 140. In 2003-2004 Mr Gaynor assisted 203 farmers, while in the drought of 2002-2003 the number was 321. Members of Parliament, Centrelink, State and local government departments and the legal fraternity are only some of the contact points that refer farmers to the service and without the service there would be an enormous hole in assistance for rural people.

Rural financial counselling is a most successful, cost-effective program as most farmers develop self-reliance and have little need to refer back once financial issues are remedied. It is a partnership between Commonwealth and New South Wales governments and a small community group of dedicated volunteers. Recently I met with the committee of the Gunnedah Rural Counselling Service, which raised a worrying financial position and need for recurrent funding. One of the major pressures is the need for the committee to provide more than one quarter of their funding. I was greatly concerned to learn the service is facing closure through the impact of drought and the inability to secure adequate government financial backing. When the service began, its original funding base was 50 per cent Commonwealth, 25 per cent State and the remaining 25 per cent was cash and in-kind support sourced by the committee. In the early days, the Commonwealth provided grants of up to $50,000, which increased to $60,000.

The State Government chose to provide up to $25,000. Neither funding sources have maintained parity with the consumer price index, meaning the committee is making up the shortfall. Incredibly, there has been no increase in the State's funding allocation from the time of the inception of the service, and the community cash and in-kind contribution today comprises more than 31 per cent of the service's budget. The State Government has made ex-gratia drought payments of $25,000 for the past two financial years. The current budget has no such provision, forcing the reduction of hours for the part-time administration assistant. The pressures on this voluntary committee are considerable with the added burden of occupational health and safety responsibilities, legal obligations, reporting requirements, risk management, et cetera. The service has made a sincere effort to work within budgetary constraints and use innovative methods to increase its contribution to the service well beyond its original charter.

The costs of the service have continued to escalate—diesel in our area at the moment is more than $1.30 per litre—but the opportunities to secure funding from the community have become fewer because of the amalgamation of local government bodies. If the Gunnedah Rural Counselling Service is closed or downsized, it will occur at a time when need for its services has never been greater. I urge the Government to allocate adequate funding in the forthcoming budget so that this service can continue to deliver the outstanding work it does in our area.

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