The State Government will spend $24 million on water saving rebates that is estimated to save more than five billion litres of water a year by 2010.

Commencing on 1 November, the three-year scheme encourages greater household water efficiency inside and outside the home.
 
The package of rebates will cover:

• Showerheads: Rebates of up to $30 are available for installing a low-flow showerhead. There are rebates for up to 300,000 low-flow showerheads available over three years.
• Home Water Audits: From January 1, 2008 householders can have a water assessment of their properties with recommendations to reduce water and energy consumption. As part of the audit, two low-flow showerheads can be installed. Rebates are $100 for metropolitan Adelaide and $110 for regional areas.
• Garden Smart Products: Spend $150 on eligible water efficient gardening goods and receive a $50 rebate.
• Washing machine rebates: Householders can receive a rebate of up to $200 when they buy a minimum 4-star washing machine.
• Dual-flush toilet rebates: Rebates of up to $150 are available to replace older inefficient toilets with dual-flush systems.

The rebates will be available to all residential properties regardless of whether the property is connected to SA Water supply.
 
Application forms and full terms and conditions will be available from the SA Water website (www.sawater.com.au) or by phoning 1800 130 952.

A Drought Force Programme initiated by the Australian Government has been introduced to help drought affected farms with their workforce needs.

The programme provides unemployed rural workers with income support while they work on drought affected farms.

For more information visit www.workplace.gov.au/droughtforce or phone the drought force hotline on 1800 004 226.

Riverland growers and farmers are being invited to attend two seminars to explain the range of government assistance available to help people through the drought.

The sessions are free for all to attend and will outline the financial assistance and social support offered by the Federal and South Australian Governments.

The two seminars will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2007.

• The first will be held in the Berri Town Hall, 19 Wilson Street, Berri at 10am. (Interpreters will be provided if requested.  Contact Cuc Ho at Centrelink (08) 8401 3251 or
  cuc-diep.c.ho@centrelink.gov.au).
• An afternoon seminar will be conducted at the Glossop Gurdwara Temple, Sturt Highway, Glossop at 2pm. (A Punjabi translator will be provided at this session.)

The seminars are being jointly conducted by Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) and Centrelink.

Contact Duncan Tullett for more details on 8595 9100.

Grants of up to $20,000 are available to irrigators in the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) from the Federal Government. These grants will assist irrigators to help them respond to significantly reduced water allocations.

Applications for the Irrigation Management Grant can be made through Centrelink.

Activities eligible for assistance include:

• Payment of fixed water charges
• Installation or upgrading of piping, troughs and associated activities for stock and domestic water
• Sinking/extending/refurbishment of bores (and pumps)
• Pruning activities to minimise the impact of low water allocations
• Reconfiguring irrigation systems
• Equipment replacement to maintain irrigation systems (including computer software, piping and pumps)
• Costs associated with implementing water efficient crop options
• Laser levelling.

The grant will be payable for activities undertaken between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2009 and will be paid directly to irrigators.

Eligible irrigators must meet the EC Interest Rate Subsidy off-farm assets test of $750,000.

For more information about the new assistance measures contact the Murray-Darling Assistance and Referral Line on 1800 050 015 or local Riverland Rural Councillors on 8595 9100.

Farmers are being encouraged to look ahead and start making plans for recovery through the drought.

Attendance at a half-day Planning for Recovery session is an essential first step in this process and can assist with business planning and support.

These sessions are an integral part of the Planning for Recovery Program, designed to provide extra support to the recovery phase for those affected by drought and in receipt of the Interest Rate Subsidy component of Exceptional Circumstances support.

Future sessions are scheduled for:

• Loxton, Tuesday 30 October 2007, 1:30 pm, PIRSA Research Centre, Bookpurnong Rd
• Naracoorte, Wednesday 31 October 2007, 1:30 pm, Naracoorte Football Clubrooms, off Riddoch Highway.

Detailed information and guidelines on the program and session dates are available via the Service SA website www.service.sa.gov.au/drought.asp. Guidelines are also sent to all approved interest rate subsidy recipients.

For more information call Tarnya Brooksby 8755 3166.

A number of South Australian sheep and cattle producers have provided input into a report that looks at what lessons were learnt from last year’s drought conditions.

As part of funding from the State Government’s Drought Response, Rural Solutions SA surveyed farmers in the South East and Kangaroo Island who confinement fed their sheep during the drought.

Meanwhile in mid 2007, five community groups ran a series of ‘drought review’ meetings as part of the State Government’s community support grants to identify the lessons farmers had learnt from the drought.
 
The report is a summary of both of these projects, which shows farmers can save time, money and their paddocks from erosion if they implement drought plans early.

Key recommendations from the report include:

• Containment feeding stock when necessary
• Making allowances for feeding past the normal break-to-the-season
• Allowing for extra feed in late pregnancy
• Doing a feed test (about $50) to determine, energy, protein and dry content of pasture and fodder. People who did not test were unsure of the correct ration to feed
• Feeding less hay in paddocks and when stock settle in containment areas as hay is hard to get and is expensive
• Stretching paddock feed by feed budgeting, having good water supply and rotational grazing
• Introducing grain carefully because grain poisoning is still the major cause of deaths.

Copies of the report are available by visiting http://www.ruralsolutions.sa.gov.au or by contacting Brian Ashton, ashton.brian@saugov.sa.gov.au

The SA Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board is holding a free irrigation workshop on Thursday 8 November at the Langhorne Creek Bowling Club, Murray Rd, from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.

The workshop will assist growers in getting the most out of their irrigation systems and will cover:

• Evaluating drip irrigation systems                         
• What to measure
• Equipment needed
• Measuring pressure and flow rate
• Evaluating drip system performance
• Calculating field data.

Morning tea and lunch will be provided along with a workshop manual and a Certificate of Attendance.

To register or for further information please contact Michael Cutting at the SA MDB NRM Board Strathalbyn Office on 8536 497 or michael.cutting@samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

Drought E-News is a regular newsletter updating the State Government’s drought response. If you’ve been forwarded this E-News and you would like to subscribe, click on the link below, complete the details and you will receive drought E-News in the future.

Feedback is always welcome, email Drought News.