Start from scratch on drought, Labor says

Labor says the government must acknowledge its drought package isn't working and go back to the drawing board.

The federal government has been told to scrap its drought-relief package and start from scratch after revelations assistance is not reaching farmers.

So far only six per cent - or about $17 million - of the $280 million available in concessional loans has been made available since Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the scheme earlier in 2014, following his February drought tour.

There have only been 28 recipients - 15 in Queensland and 13 in NSW - News Corp Australia reports.

Opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon says the government needs to acknowledge the scheme isn't working.

"When the prime minister did his drought tour it proved a great circuit breaker for him ... because people believed that something had been done," he told reporters in Canberra.

"It's about time the government ruled a line under their package and started from scratch."


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