JULY 2002
Farm Help Post Program
Assessment Questionnaire
Re-establishment Grant Recipients
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia (AFFA) has been funding the Farm
Help Program through which you have received Income Support and/or a Re-establishment Grant and
perhaps also a Retraining Grant. The actual payments to you and any interviews and assistance were
co-ordinated by Centrelink.
AFFA is now seeking to find out how well this program has helped farm families and whether there are
any changes that could be made to the Farm Help program to make it work better. Information
collected from this questionnaire will be used to assess the effectiveness of the program. You can help
this process by completing this questionnaire and returning it to Centrelink in the enclosed Reply Paid
envelope. In this way you are helping the government to continue providing appropriate and relevant
assistance to farmers in the manner in which it is most needed.
Your personal information is protected by law and participation in this questionnaire is voluntary. The
information provided by you will be collated by Centrelink and forwarded to AFFA for analysis. You can
get more information from the pamphlets called 'Your Right to Privacy' and 'Customer Research and
You'."
The questionnaire is completely anonymous. You are given the option of providing permission for
AFFA, or a consultant representing AFFA, to contact you to ask follow-up questions at some point in
the future for on-going assessment of the program. If you do agree, you are asked to provide your
contact details – these details will only be used for the specific purpose of contacting you regarding the
Farm Help program. If you choose not to provide your details, the questionnaire will remain completely
anonymous.
Most questions can be easily answered by ticking the box that describes your action or your response.
There are a few questions that ask you to show how satisfied you were with some parts of the program
– again you just need to tick the relevant boxes. There is also some space for you to add your own
comments if you would like to – especially if you wish to identify problems with the program or suggest
any improvements. The questionnaire should take you only about 20 minutes to complete. If you have
any problems in completing the questionnaire, please contact the Centrelink Call Centre on Freecall™
1800 050 585 for assistance.
Your co-operation is appreciated. Thank you.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY – AUSTRALIA
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 2
YOU AND YOUR FARM
Male  Female 
1.
Are you male or female?
2.
Do you speak a language other than English at home?
Yes 
No 
3.
Are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?
Yes 
No 
4.
Where was your farm located?
Town: ..............................................
5.
State: ................
Post Code: ..................
How did you hear about the Farm Help Program? (Tick one or more boxes)
Radio
Newspaper
Industry Body/Farmer Representative Group
Centrelink advice or information from Centrelink offices
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – green box
– TV advertising campaign
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – green box
– newspaper advertising campaign
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – brochures
Rural Financial Counsellors
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website
Accountant or Financial Advisor
Bank Manager
Other Farmers or friends/neighbours
Other (please specify) ............................................................................
6.
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Which source of information most influenced your decision to apply for assistance?
(Please tick one box only.)
Radio
Newspaper
Industry Body/Farmer Representative Group
Centrelink advice or information from Centrelink offices
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – green box
– TV advertising campaign
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – green box
– newspaper advertising campaign
Agriculture Advancing Australia (AAA) – brochures
Rural Financial Counsellors
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website
Accountant or Financial Advisor
Bank Manager
Other Farmers or friends/neighbours
Other (please specify) ............................................................................
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Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
7.
What was the size of your farm in hectares? (Please tick one box only)
1 to 100 hectares
101 to 200 hectares
201 to 300 hectares
301 to 400 hectares
8.
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401 to 500 hectares
501 to 1000 hectares
1001 to 5000 hectares
5001 or more hectares
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How many family units did your farm support? (Please tick one box only)
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Only your own family unit - no other families
One other family unit
Two or more other family units
9.
Page 3
Please indicate your age group. (Please tick one box only)
Less than 20 years
20 to 29 years
30 to 39 years
40 to 49 years
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50 to 59 years
60 to 64 years
65 to 69 years
70 years and over
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10.
How many years had you worked in farming before you applied to the Farm Help
program?
...................... years
11.
How many years had you worked on your current farm before applying to the Farm
Help program?
12.
Did you inherit your current farm?
...................... years
Yes 
No 
13.
(Please indicate how many years ago you inherited the farm:.............years)
What form of ownership best described your working arrangements on the farm?
(Please tick one box only)
Sole owner (regardless of mortgage)
Partnership – family (regardless of mortgage)
Partnership – other (regardless of mortgage)
Trust
Private Company
Leasing the farm
Sharefarming arrangement
Other (please specify)
14.
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What do you think were the main reasons that contributed to your farm enterprise
being in a position where you needed to apply to the Farm Help Program? (Please tick
one or more boxes)
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Local drought conditions*
Local flood conditions*
Other local severe weather conditions*
Environmental problems (e.g. salinity)
Non-viability of farm (e.g. size, location)
Pests and/or disease
Lack of finance to expand/develop farm
Other (please specify)
Note:
15.
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Page 4
Ill Health
Personal or family problems
Age and/or physical ability
Loss of market
Debt problems
Inheritance related debt
Falling commodity prices
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*localised adverse weather conditions but not declared as Exceptional Circumstances.
Have you accessed other Government support payments in the last five years?
Yes 
No

(Please indicate how many years you received payments for in the table
below)
(Go to Question 16)
Note: Answering this question will NOT affect your entitlement to Government support
payments.
Number of years in receipt of
support payments
Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment
Exceptional Circumstances Interest Rate Subsidy
Sugar Industry Assistance Package
Flood Assistance Package
Dairy Structural Adjustment Program (DSAP) payment or a
Supplementary Dairy Assistance (SDA) scheme payment
Newstart Allowance
Family Payment
Disability Support Pension
Parenting Payment
Widow Allowance or Pension
Age Pension
Other Centrelink payments (please specify)
16.
Before you applied to the Farm Help program what were the main activities
undertaken on the farm? Please indicate in the table below what your 3 main farming activities were when
you applied for Farm Help. Rank them in the order of importance where 1 represents the most important activity. For
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 5
example, if your farm was primarily a dairy farm, but you also earned a small income from poultry, then you would
place 1 next to dairy and 2 next to poultry.
Type of Activity
Before Farm Help
Dairy Cattle
Ranking
Before
Type of Activity
Before Farm Help
Sheep Meat
Sheep wool
Cotton
Beef Cattle
Sugarcane
Pigs
Flowers
Poultry - meat
Nursery
Poultry - eggs
Crops – grain – please specify:
Beekeeper
Crops – other - please specify:
Other livestock – please specify:
Fruit – please specify:
Aquaculture – please specify:
Vegetables – please specify:
Ranking
Before
Other – please specify:
17.
Did you receive fortnightly Farm Help Income Support payments before applying for
the Re-establishment Grant?
Yes 
No 
18.
(Go to Question 18)
(Go to Question 19)
For how many months did you receive fortnightly Farm Help Income Support
payments?
months
19.
Which of the following best describes your current situation since selling the farm?
(Please tick one box only)
Started another business
Retired
Retraining/further study
Applied for welfare benefit
Working as an employee on a farm
Working in an agricultural related industry
Working in an industry other than agriculture
Other (please specify) .............................................................................................
20.
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What is your current labour force status? (Please tick one box only)
Employed full-time
Employed part-time
Casual employment
Unemployed  looking for full-time work
Unemployed  looking for part-time work
Unemployed  not looking for work
Not in the Labour Force (e.g. retired)
Studying full-time
Other (please
specify)………………………………………………………………………...
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FARM ENTERPRISE VIABILITY ASSESSMENT
Questions 21 to 28 relate to your initial Farm Help financial viability assessment session.
This was a compulsory session with a professional advisor if your farm took more than 3
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 6
months to sell, otherwise it was voluntary. The session was funded by Centrelink under the
$3000 Professional Advice grant.
21.
Did you undergo an initial farm financial viability assessment session as part of the
Farm Help Program?
Yes 
No 
22.
(Go to Question 22)
(Go to Question 28)
Note: Only answer this question if you undertook an initial financial viability assessment :
Who provided you with your initial professional advice session, which included the
viability assessment? (Please tick one box only)
Rural Financial Counsellor
Accountant/Financial Advisor
Agronomist/Agricultural Expert
Other (please specify) ……………………………………………………………
23.
Based on your experience, how do you rate the following elements of the viability
assessment process? (Tick one box only)
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24.
Poor
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very
Good
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Professionalism of the advisor
The overall advice given to you at this
session
Based on your experience, how do you rate your experience of the viability
assessment process in terms of the following? (Tick one box only)
Poor
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25.
Helping you to understand your
farm’s basic problems
Helping you to understand your
farm’s long-term financial outlook
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very
Good
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How was your farm assessed at the end of the viability assessment session? (Please
tick one box only)
Viable enterprise requiring no change to current operations
Would be viable with some operational changes
Non-viable farm with little or no prospect of recovery
26.
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 (Go to Question 27)
 (Go to Question 27)
 (Go to Question 26)
Note: Only answer this question if your farm was assessed as non-viable.
If your farm was assessed as non-viable, how do you rate your experience of the
viability assessment process in terms of the following? (Tick one box only)
Poor
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27.
Identifying options to help you exit
farming
Identifying other career
opportunities
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very
Good
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Did you agree with the professional advisor and the advice given in the viability
assessment?
Professional advice:
Viability Assessment:
Yes
Yes
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No
No
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Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
28.
Page 7
Do you have any comments regarding the professional advice and/or the viability
assessment?..................................................................................................................
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29. Part A: Did you receive any other professional advice paid for by the $3,000 grant for
professional advice?
Yes  (Go to Part B)
No  (Go to Question 30)
Part B: Please indicate each type of additional professional advice you received in the
following table, by placing a tick in the corresponding box. Please rate the advice by
ticking one box only in the corresponding row.
Type of
additional
advice
30.
Poor Rating
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very Good
Financial
Planning
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Business
Management
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Career Options
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Legal Matters
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Personal and
Family Issues
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Stress
Management
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Agricultural
Expert
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Other (please
specify)
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Do you have any comments regarding other professional advice?
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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
31.
Have you or your spouse undertaken any farm business management training?
Yes 
(Go to Question 32)
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
No
32.
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Page 8
(Go to Question 33)
Note only answer this question if you have undertaken farm business management
training:
Please indicate the name/s of the training course/s you or your spouse have accessed
and who provided the course/s. Also, if the course was provided through FarmBis
please place a tick in the FarmBis column:
Course Name (for example, Property
Provider (for example, TAFE, private
Management Planning, SQF 2000)
training provider, local DPI)
FarmBis
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
33.
Which of the following best describes your and your spouse’s qualifications (formal
or life skills)? (Please tick one box for each person.)
Your Life Skills or
Formal Qualifications
Rural Skills
You
Your spouse’s Life Skills
or Formal Qualifications
Rural Skills
Home management skills
Home management skills
High School
High School
Year exited: eg Year 10
Year exited: eg Year 10
TAFE certificate
TAFE certificate
State qualification:
State qualification:
Diploma/Advanced
Diploma
Diploma/Advanced Diploma
Your
Spouse
State qualification:
State qualification:
Bachelor Degree or
higher
Bachelor Degree or higher
State qualification:
State qualification:
Additional Qualifications
not stated above:
Additional Qualifications not
stated above:
FARM HELP PATHWAYS PLAN
Questions 34 to 37 relate to the Pathways Plan. The plan was developed with your
Centrelink Farm Help contact person in order to identify your longer-term goals and was
based on your initial financial viability assessment. This process was compulsory if your farm
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 9
was assessed as non-viable under the initial financial viability assessment session and
voluntary in other cases.
34.
Did you develop a Plan with a Centrelink Farm Help contact person?
Yes 
No 
(Go to Question 35)
(Go to Question 37)
Note: Only answer Questions 35 and 36 if you developed a Plan
35.
How do you rate your experience of the following elements of the Plan process? (Tick
one box only)
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36.
Little
Help
Helpful
Very
Helpful
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How do you rate the Plan process in terms of the following? (Tick one box only)
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37.
Relevant knowledge of the Centrelink
Farm Help contact person
Professionalism of the Centrelink
Farm Help contact person
No
Help
Clearly stated what options were
available
Helped you understand the potential
outcomes from these options
Helped provide a good exchange of
ideas between yourself and the
Centrelink contact
Helped set goals and directions
No
Help
Little
Help
Helpful
Very
Helpful
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Do you have any comments regarding the Plan?
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RETRAINING GRANT
38.
Have you taken up the retraining grant or do you plan to take up the retraining grant in
the future?
Yes 
(Go to Question 42)
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
No
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Page 10
(Go to Question 39)
Note: only answer this question if you have not or do not intend to access the retraining
grant
39.
Can you please indicate the reasons why you have not taken up the retraining grant?
(Please tick one or more boxes)
Already have sufficient skills in my area of expertise
Already have other employment
Too old to undertake retraining
Don’t want a different career direction
Decided to retire following receipt of the grant
Preferred course not available at nearest training centre
I have insufficient time available to attend courses
Transport difficulties in attending courses
Family commitments prevent attending courses
Other (please specify) ...............................................................................................
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Note: only answer this question if you have not or do not intend to access the retraining
grant
40.
Although you have not taken up the retraining grant, do you still think that the
retraining grant is an important component of the Farm Help program?
Yes
No
41.
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Do you have any comments regarding retraining assistance?
........................................................................................................................................
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Once you have completed Question 41, please go to Question 47.
Note: Only answer Questions 42 - 46 if you have, or intend, to access the retraining grant
42.
43.
Who is, or will be, using the retraining grant? (Please tick one box only)
You
Your spouse
Both you and your spouse
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What course(s) have you or your spouse enrolled in, or intend to undertake, that will be
funded by the retraining grant?
You: ................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
Your spouse: ...................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
44.
What recognised qualification(s) will you or your spouse receive on completion of the
course?
You: ..............................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
Your spouse: ...................................................................................................................
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 11
........................................................................................................................................
45.
Do you think you would have undertaken retraining, or would have planned to
undertake retraining, if the grant were not available?
Yes 
No
46.
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Do you have any comments regarding retraining assistance?
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PROGRAM EVALUATION
47.
Please indicate how helpful you found the following aspects of the Farm Help Program
(Please tick each aspect that is relevant to you and then tick one box in the
corresponding row).
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
No Help
Aspect of the Program
Helpful
Very
Helpful
Help
Program’s assistance to make informed decisions
on the farm’s future
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Program’s assistance to help me to plan for my
family’s future
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Income assistance to enable the farm to get over a
bad patch
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Plan developed with Centrelink Farm Help contact
person
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Regular contact with Centrelink
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Initial farm financial viability assessment to help
clarify options
Identification of on-farm improvements or
alternative activities
Ability to seek other advice within the program
Being able to seek assistance with financial
management records and systems
Being able to seek assistance with debt finance
restructuring
Being able to seek assistance for business
planning techniques
48.
Little
Page 12
Are there any improvements you would like to see made to any aspect of the Farm
Help program?
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49.
What impact did Farm Help (including the re-establishment grant) have upon you and
your family?
........................................................................................................................................
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Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Re-establishment Grant Recipients V4
Page 13
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50.
Do you give your permission for AFFA to contact you to ask follow-up questions
regarding this Farm Help survey at some point in the future? If you agree to being
contacted, please provide your name, phone number and the most convenient time for
AFFA to contact you. (These details will only be used for the purpose of contacting you regarding the
Farm Help survey and will not be used for any other reason).
Name:
Contact phone number:(
)
Please indicate the best time to contact you:
Morning
51.
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Afternoon 
Evening

Anytime
How long did it take you to complete this questionnaire?

minutes
Thank you very much for your time and effort in completing this questionnaire. Your
responses will be very helpful in monitoring the effectiveness of the
Farm Help program.
Please return the questionnaire to Centrelink in the enclosed Reply Paid envelope.