Time running out to apply for shipping aid

Farmers who want compensation for their increased shipping costs in the past year have only a short time left to apply.

The Australian Government is providing a one-off $20 million funding package to assist Tasmanian exporters access international markets. Of that $20 million, $14.5 million has been allocated to a Tasmanian Shipping Transition Assistance Fund in response to increasing shipping costs for exporters, particularly those directly impacted by the April 2011 ending of the AAA direct international container service from Bell Bay.

“The window for applications under the assistance fund closes on Wednesday (July 18),” Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis said today.

“Those farmers who think they can make a case should send their claim to the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources,” she said.

There are two funding categories.

Category 1 is limited to those exporters who were using the AAA direct international service in the six months before it finished and who can show that their shipping costs have increased as a consequence of the service ending.

The eligibility criteria for Category 2 are broader. All exporters who shipped full containers between May 1 2011 and April 30 2012 and who can show how financial assistance will help them maintain access to their markets are eligible to apply. This category covers those exporters who did not use AAA or who may have used AAA before the six-month window in Category 1.

Successful applicants have to show the cost pressures they face and the value of one-off assistance to increase transport efficiency.
Jan Davis TFGA Chief Executive http://www.tfga.com.au/