MOMENTUM for an Australian Reconstruction and Development Board reached an all-time high this week after it was the main resolution reached by farmers at the Rural Debt Forum in Hughenden yesterday and introduced into the Senate for debate.
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Sixty graziers met state member for Mount Isa Rob Katter, grain producer Rowell Walton and research economist Ben Rees to discuss solutions to help Queensland's agriculture industry recover from the ``perfect storm'' of 2013.
Mr Katter said debt was endemic in the Queensland cattle industry and the only way to stop an industry-wide collapse was to follow the example set by other nations.
He said support was thrown behind the idea to create an Australian Reconstruction and Development Board to ``cage'' a portion of the industry's debt to bring it back to levels that graziers could realistically pay off.
``This scheme doesn't make anyone rich, it stops the industry from collapsing,'' he said.
``Every other advanced economy in the world has some sort of rural bank or finance and that's because agriculture battles seasonal conditions, droughts and market fluctuations.
``There's proof in Australia that if you leave it to the vagaries of the seasons and the markets, it will collapse.''
Mr Katter said farmers were asking the government to rethink means-testing for Centrelink payments so rural families in debt could afford to buy essentials such as groceries.
``This is not just about people on stations, because if they have a debt problem and are struggling to buy groceries then every business in town had a problem,'' he said.
