Nationals Leader Calls for Flood Loan Program Revival After $4 Million Farm Loss

Credit: David Littleproud FB page

Nationals leader David Littleproud has urged the federal government to revive interest-free loans for flood-devastated farmers, citing a Western Queensland producer who lost $4 million worth of livestock, fences and machinery in recent flooding.

Littleproud told Sky News Australia that the Regional Investment Corporation loan program, which provided up to $2 million in interest-free, repayment-free assistance during drought conditions, should be reinstated to help primary producers recover from what he described as unprecedented flood damage across multiple states.

"I met with a producer out in Junda who's lost $4 million worth of livestock, fences, machinery, and it'll take him 10-plus years," Littleproud said during the television interview. "He's got a debt that if he could buy some time in cash flow terms of not having to pay interest but refinance some of that debt across to the Regional Investment Corporation."

The call comes as communities from Western Queensland to the New South Wales mid-north coast continue cleanup efforts following record-breaking floods. Littleproud said he had visited flood-affected areas including Taree, Kempsey and Maxfield in recent weeks, witnessing firsthand the scale of agricultural devastation.

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