30-05-2025
Queensland expands primary producer definition to improve access to disaster assistance
Farmers denied disaster relief due to their off-farm income could now be eligible for recovery grants due to changes to Queensland's definition of primary production.
In the past, disaster recovery grants, loans and freight subsidies were only available to producers who earned most of their income from the farm, or would in future.
It meant farmers who also earned income off-farm, including from agriculture services like contract harvesting, mustering and milking, were not eligible.
The criteria had been criticised for excluding farmers with small-scale or diversified operations, regardless of how much damage they experienced.
Farm groups have welcomed the change, which would apply retrospectively to include the devastating 2024/25 wet season.
But some producers said the criteria still unfairly disadvantaged off-farm jobs.
Harvesting contractor Luke Roveda bought land two years ago to start a farm near Ingham, north of Townsville.
"That's always a big thing, spending money," he said.
"My son hopefully can take it on.
"The cane harvester [business] complements the farm as well."
Relentless rain and flooding in February battered the region, damaging homes and tearing up cane farms.
Mr Roveda lost roads, culverts and the crop, but he was not eligible for disaster recovery assistance.
"I haven't really worked it out [the cost] because honestly we weren't eligible for anything," he said.
Changes to the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) now mean Mr Roveda can apply.
Queensland will consider income from agricultural support services such as harvesting and mustering as primary production income.
Minister for Primary Industries, Tony Perrett, said it would also help those working off-farm who had a plan to grow their operation.
"We know disaster events don't discriminate ... and that announcement will capture the three flood events that we've had this year," he said.
It means Mr Roveda can get started on his repairs.
"It's not easy buying a farm and off-farm income is needed for a young feller, for anyone really," he said.
"Having this assistance we can fix stuff up and put it back to where it needs to be."
Canegrowers chief executive Dan Galligan said the narrow definition was out of date.
"Earlier this year, I stood in front of a group of around 120 farmers in Ingham talking about disaster recovery assistance, and probably half of those farmers were ineligible 10 minutes into the meeting," he said.
"And that's because they had modern businesses, growing business, and they had off-farm income."
The definition of a primary producer used by the DRFA comes from a classification developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Each state and territory government then sets its own rules within that classification.
Queensland opted to exclude agriculture, forestry and fishing support services.
Farm lobby group AgForce chief executive Michael Guerin said the policy adjustment was significant.
"Policy settings traditionally have just assumed that primary producers are primary producers full-stop," he said.
"But we know the industry is changing fundamentally, we know that young people need off-farm income to build deposits to buy land.
"We know existing farming families need off-farm income to support their enterprise through droughts and floods."
Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA), which administers the funding, said regulatory amendments were required to formalise the change, but once that was done, those who had been denied a grant in 2025 could reapply.
The changes have disappointed Nick Holliday, who produces pasture-raised eggs, pork and beef in the South Burnett.
In 2022, he successfully appealed a ruling that his operation was not eligible for disaster recovery assistance to repair roads, fences and landslips caused by flooding.
"I was really excited to hear that there were changes to these provisions because they were in desperate need of review, but almost immediately I was disappointed," Mr Holliday said.
"This is a real missed opportunity that gives different statuses to different jobs in rural communities."
He said other government agencies used broader definitions that considered more than where off-farm income came from.
"It's an oddity that a person could satisfy government that they're a primary producer for tax or vehicle registration purposes, but not to qualify for essential assistance in a natural disaster," he said.
Premier David Crisafulli said the state government was open to further discussion.
"Those changes do enable farmers to be able to show that that they have a plan in place," he said.
"But if more needs to be done, we'll continue to take that case forward."
Queensland Farmers' Federation chief executive Jo Sheppard said the industry had been advocating for the change for more than a decade.
"We're seeing farmers across the state diversify to maintain their future viability and profitability whilst maintaining agriculture as their core enterprise function," she said.
"It's really important that these farmers aren't disadvantaged and are supported during times of disaster.
"We all need farmers to keep farming … it's really important not just for the sector but the regional communities and for consumers."
