The impact of one of the driest years in living memory is showing in small town economies across South Australia. In the state's mid north, Bureau of Meteorology figures show the town of Clare received just over half its annual average rainfall last year, a record low.
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00:00Hot and dry.
00:04It's been a common theme across the state
00:08and regional businesses are feeling it. The flow on effect for
00:12our farmers not spending is that we're not able to spend,
00:16our clients aren't able to spend, which is really starting to get a little bit
00:20scary. With little rain yields are down and so is cash flow.
00:24Especially just last month, March, was probably the worst
00:28months we've had in years. Gym memberships are
00:32dropping in Clare, Borough and Balaclava. The first thing to go to the gym
00:36they need to eat. Business owners on the Eyre
00:40Peninsula are also feeling the dry. We went through a period
00:44after Christmas where I had to cut down staff and I
00:48reduced my menu as well. We were down over
00:5260%. And there's concern about the potential long term effects.
00:56Once the hairdresser's gone, once the sandwich shop
01:00is gone, once the inputs business
01:02is gone, they don't
01:04come back. Major party candidates
01:06in regional South Australia say
01:08they will support small businesses if they
01:10win the federal election. The coalition
01:12is offering $1.8 million
01:14over six months to extend
01:16the rural financial counselling service
01:18and Labor says it is backing
01:20regional resilience through the
01:22$519 million future drought fund. This water specialist
01:26says the relief everyone is hoping
01:28for could still be months away.
01:30No, everyone's hanging out for rain
01:32but usually
01:34it doesn't start until around June
01:36here it seems, the last few years.
01:38Communities forced to push through.
01:40Push through.
01:42Push through.