Drought bus calls in

THE Federal Government’s Drought Bus continues its tour of drought-affected regions with a brief stopover at Yarra Junction this week.
The bus will pull over in Yarra Junction on Thursday and Friday 4 and 5 October to encourage local farmers, residents and small businesses to explore the range of available payments and support.
Centrelink Rural Services Officer Bob Hutton said the bus was making it easier for farmers and town people to access drought assistance payments by taking the governments support services directly to the people.
“What people like most about the bus is that it’s like a mobile Centrelink office, where they can apply for drought assistance as well as other Centrelink payments and services,” Mr Hutton said.
“In addition to the Centrelink service, people can speak with Medicare staff when they visit the Drought Bus. The Medicare staff can assist families with non-cash transactions, such as paying Medicare claims by cheque or EFTPOS, enrolling people for Medicare, or updating their contact details. The bus really is a one-stop mobile Australian Government assistance shop.”
Mr Hutton said the staff on board the bus were experienced in all Centrelink payments and had a particular affinity with people on the land and those from regional and rural areas.
“Most of the staff on the bus come from country areas and know how self-sufficient country people can be, making them reluctant to ask for help,” Mr Hutton said. “That’s why we want to encourage people to come and have a talk with us while we’re in the area.”
The Drought Bus will be at the Yarra Junction Recreation Reserve, Warburton Highway from Thursday 4 October between 2.30pm and 4.30pm and Friday 5 October from 9.30am to 1.30pm.