Kiwi farmer ineligible for Oz funds

Goodin and wife Lisa are New Zealand citizens who have owned and operated their dairy business in Yarraweyah since 2008.

Goodin says he was told on the phone by Centrelink that he may be eligible for the FHA and should apply. But a letter confirmed he was ineligible as he was “not an Australian resident”.

He says the process wasted his time and he thinks it “pretty unfair” he cannot be considered after eight years in Australia.

“We’ve been here a while, we’ve integrated into society pretty well, we’re involved with the community, on the school council, the local soccer club and all that stuff, as well as paying our taxes, but we’re not treated the same at the other end of it,” he says.

The Goodins oversee four farm businesses in the region, and as suppliers to Murray Goulburn were hit hard by the recent price drop.

“You can build equity for sure and we have, but then Murray Goulburn dropped the ball on us,” he says.

“The fact they were preaching A$6/kgMS right up until the last days was really what got us into trouble.”

Working off farm to supplement income is not an option because they had to reduce staff numbers. So they are managing by borrowing more, cutting costs and doing most of the work themselves.

He says they are grateful the season has been good so far and they won’t be buying water over summer.

A spokeswoman for Centrelink says New Zealanders who arrived in Australia before 2001 were considered protected special category visa holders and, until February 2001, met the definition of an Australian resident if they lived here. But a February 2001 rule change assigned non-resident status to Kiwis who had arrived after 2001.

Jenni Clark, of the Northern Victoria Farmer Relief Drive, is calling on NZ and non-Australian-citizen dairy farmers to contact her via Facebook. She is collating information to present to the government.

“It’s a bad situation that definitely needs changing,” Clark says.

Goodin says he and his wife and sons Hunter (12) and Luke (10) intend to stay in Australia and will look to becoming citizens in time.

“My kids are raised as Aussies, they play AFL and they call jandals ‘thongs’,” he says.

“They love New Zealand too, but if they ended up playing rugby they’d be more likely to play for the Wallabies than the All Blacks.”