THE Nationals WA have called on the State government to ease the pressure on pastoral businesses grappling with a difficult dry season and lease hikes in the State's north, but the State government has hit back over the comments made.
Nationals water spokeswoman Jacqui Boydell said an abnormally dry season in the Pilbara and Kimberley, coupled with rising pastoral lease rates, had left some pastoral businesses struggling.
"A recent assessment of the State's 434 pastoral leases identified at least 29 as being at high risk of poor animal welfare outcomes due to challenging seasonal conditions, infrastructure issues and possible business failure," Ms Boydell said.
"At the same time Lands Minister Ben Wyatt has indicated he will jack up lease fees for pastoralists over the next three years, in some cases by up to 100 per cent.
"That's a difficult pill for pastoralists to swallow when they are struggling to manage their operations and pleading for relief so they can meet challenges presented by a lack of food and water available for stock."
Although some pastoralists have started mustering early in an effort to reduce the risk of losing cattle, Ms Boydell said the government should look at providing concessions and exemptions to pastoralists.
"There is opportunity for the State to step in and provide relief for pastoralists both on the ground and financially," she said.
"They include placing an exemption on lease hikes for high risk pastoral operations for at least 12 months or until such time those businesses affected by water deficiencies get back on their feet.
"Reinstating the Pastoral Water Grants Rebate Scheme shut off by the Water Minister last June and applying transport subsidies to businesses looking to turn off cattle from their properties would also go a long way in easing the pain for pastoralists."
A government spokesperson said Ms Boydell's "lack of understanding of the pastoral rents issue is troubling, given her own party's recent troubles with the legislation".
"Pastoral rents are independently set by the Valuer General, they are not set by the Minister," the spokesperson said.
"It must be remembered that the changes to pastoral leases that were determined reflect an increase in land values and the money raised goes into further supporting the pastoralist industry.
"The staged increases also allow those effected to make the necessary adjustments to their business."
The spokesperson said much of the rangelands was experiencing below-average rainfall during the wet season and high temperatures.
"Government cannot mitigate against the seasonal challenges facing pastoralists, however we have a process in place to identify properties which may need additional support," the spokesperson said.
"At this point, 29 pastoral stations (less than seven per cent of 434 properties) have been identified as potentially requiring further support during unseasonably dry conditions in the rangelands.
"Identifying these stations is not necessarily a reflection of their management practices - it recognises that some stations may not have the capacity to respond adequately to prolonged dry seasonal conditions."
The government said the Departments of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Planning, Lands and Heritage were following up with pastoralists to address any potential issues such as stock and infrastructure management as well as business planning.
"The impact of dry conditions, particularly in the north, is expected to continue until the start of the wet season in late 2019 and we have initiated a dry season response program with dedicated resources to assist producers to prepare for the months ahead," the spokesperson said.
"It is important to note that industry are already responding to the challenges with increased water infrastructure being installed across the region, a variety of agistment arrangements ensuring that available feed and water for livestock is optimised and implementation of dry seasonal herd management plans.
"We have been supporting northern pastoralists through development and extension programs, including workshops, to assist with decision making in relation to the season and to improve the sustainability and profitability of their businesses."
The government said it was no longer appropriate to provide a non-means tested government subsidy to private businesses through the Pastoral Water Supply Scheme program.
The government spokesperson said they were looking at ways to make more detailed information available to pastoralists which will enable them to make more timely decisions.
"DPIRD is assessing provision of fit-for-purpose spatial imagery and decision support tools to support producers in the rangelands," the spokesperson said.
"Information to support producers in decision making is available via the department website."
