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Drought summit not just quick fixes: PM

Scott Morrison has announced ahead of a summit that large trucks will no longer have to stop at state borders when carrying hay to drought-stricken farmers.

Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has announced a plan to cut red tape for truckies carrying farm supplies. (AAP)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison insists next month's national drought summit won't just be about quick fixes.

While the situation in rural Australia is urgent, Mr Morrison believes there also has to be a focus on dealing with future droughts.

"In the middle of dealing with this very significant crisis we are looking at how the system can work better for the future," Mr Morrison told reporters at Royalla in NSW on Thursday.

"Everybody is doing a lot of things, I think the states are doing some good things and it's about linking up all of our efforts.

"It's about the relief and the build back now and then it's about the long-term resilience."

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Mr Morrison, who will chair the drought summit in Canberra on October 26, has announced truck drivers carrying feed and hay to drought-stricken farmers will no longer be stopped at state borders.

The "common sense" relaxation of road transport rules standardises load restrictions.

"We want them to keep on trucking all the way and not get caught up by unnecessary red tape," Mr Morrison said.

The change will remove the need for up to 6000 permits a year by bringing together road rules across Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

"Until now, differences in dimensions had thrown a spanner in the works, with transporters caught out by different dimension limits in different states," National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson said.

Mr Morrison wants to celebrate the stories of farmers coping with drought.

"Drought is nothing new, this one is particularly severe, but the resilience of those farmers who have been doing it tough for demonstrates their great skill."

Farmers will also be able to immediately deduct the cost of silos and hay sheds, rather than over three years, under legislation which cleared parliament on Thursday.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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