NOVEMBER 2002
Farm Help Post Program
Assessment Questionnaire
Income Support Recipients
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia (AFFA) has been funding the Farm
Help Program through which you have received Income Support. 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 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.
Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY – AUSTRALIA
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Income Support Recipients V5
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
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 is your farm located?
Town: ..............................................
5.
State: ................
Post Code: ..................
How did you hear about the Farm Help Program? (Please tick one or more boxes.)
Radio .................................................................................................................. 
Newspaper ......................................................................................................... 
Centrelink advice or information from Centrelink offices ..................................... 
Industry Body/Farmer Representative Group ....................................................... 
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.
Which source of information most influenced your decision to apply for assistance?
(Please tick one box only.)
Radio .................................................................................................................. 
Newspaper ......................................................................................................... 
Centrelink advice or information from Centrelink offices ..................................... 
Industry Body/Farmer Representative Group ....................................................... 
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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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
7.
What is 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.




401 to 500 hectares
501 to 1000 hectares
1001 to 5000 hectares
5001 or more hectares




How many family units does your farm support? (Please tick one box only)
Only your own family unit - no other families ............................................................... 
One other family unit ................................................................................................... 
Two or more other family units .................................................................................... 
9.
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




50 to 59 years
60 to 64 years
65 to 69 years
70 years and over




10.
How many years had you worked in farming before applying to the Farm Help
program?
...................... years
11.
How long had you worked on your current farm before applying to the Farm Help
program?
...................... years
12.
Did you inherit your current farm?
Yes 
No 
13.
(Please indicate how many years ago you inherited the farm:.............years)
What form of ownership best describes 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) ................................................................................................... 
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Income Support Recipients V5
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
14.
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)
Local drought conditions*
Local flood conditions*
Other local severe weather conditions*
Environmental problems (e.g. salinity)
Non-viability of farm (e.g. size, location)
Lack of finance to expand/develop farm
Pests and/or disease
Other (please specify)
Note:
15.







Ill Health
Personal or family problems
Age and/or physical ability
Loss of market
Debt problems
Inheritance related debt
Falling commodity prices
*localised adverse weather conditions but not declared as Exceptional Circumstances.
Have you accessed any 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.
How many years did you receive the following benefits?
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
Age Pension
Widow Allowance or Pension
Other Centrelink payments (please specify)
FARM ENTERPRISE VIABILITY ASSESSMENT
Years








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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
Questions 16 to 22 relate to your initial Farm Help financial viability assessment session.
This session was the initial professional advice session funded by Centrelink under the
$3000 Professional Advice grant and was compulsory for all recipients of Farm Help Income
Support to assess the farm’s viability.
16.
Who provided you with your initial professional advice session, which included the
viability assessment? (Tick one box only)
Rural Financial Counsellor ........................................................................................ 
Accountant/Financial Advisor .................................................................................... 
Agronomist or agricultural expert .............................................................................. 
Other (please specify) ............................................................................................... 
17.
Based on your experience, how do you rate the following elements of the viability
assessment process? (Tick one box only)


18.
Poor
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very
Good










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


19.
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










How was your farm assessed at the end of the viability assessment session?
(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
20.
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


21.
22.
 (Go to Question 21)
 (Go to Question 21)
 (Go to Question 20)
Identifying options to help you exit
farming
Identifying other career
opportunities
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very
Good










Did you agree with the viability assessment and the advice given by the Professional
Advisor?
Professional advice:
Yes 
No

Viability Assessment:
Yes 
No

Do you have any comments regarding the professional advice and/or the viability
assessment?..................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
23.
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 24)
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.
Indicate type of
additional
advice
Poor
Below
Average
Average
Good
Very Good
Financial
Planning






Business
Management






Career Options






Legal Matters






Personal and
Family Issues






Stress
Management






Agricultural
Expert






Other (please
specify)






24.
Do you have any comments regarding Other Professional Advice?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
25.
Have you or your spouse undertaken any farm business management training?
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
Yes 
No 
26.
(Go to Question 26)
(Go to Question 28)
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.
27.
Do you have any comments regarding Farm Business Management Training? ..........
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
(Note: Once you have completed Question 27, please proceed to Question 32)
Note only answer this question if you have not undertaken farm business management
training:
28.
Do you think your farm’s viability would have been helped if you (or your spouse) had
undertaken some retraining?
Yes  (Go to Question 29)
No
29.
 (Go to Question 30)
Note: Only answer this question if you think that retraining would have helped your
farm’s viability: What type of course do you think would have helped you (or your
spouse)?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
30.
31.
Would you (or your spouse) have undertaken some retraining if financial assistance
were provided for it?
Yes

No

Do you have any comments regarding retraining assistance?......................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
32.
What year did you exit high school? (Please tick appropriate box)
Year

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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Other (please
specify)
33.
Do you have TAFE qualifications? (eg Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma).
Yes
No
If yes, please specify:
Qualification 1
Qualification 2
Qualification 3
34.
Do you have a University qualification? (eg Degree or higher). Please provide details
below:
Yes
No
If yes, please specify:
Qualification 1
Qualification 2
35.
Do you have any other skills or qualifications?
If yes, please provide details below:
36.
What year did your spouse exit high school? (Please tick appropriate box)
Year

Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Other (please
specify)
37.
Does your spouse have TAFE qualifications? (eg Certificate, Diploma, Advanced
Diploma).
Yes
No
Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Income Support Recipients V5
Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
If yes, please specify:
Qualification 1
Qualification 2
Qualification 3
38.
Does your spouse have a University qualification? (eg Degree or higher).
Yes
No
If yes, please specify:
Qualification 1
Qualification 2
39.
Does your spouse have any other skills or qualifications?
Please provide details:
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Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Income Support Recipients V5
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
FARM HELP PATHWAYS PLAN
Questions 40 to 43 relate to the Pathways Plan. The plan was developed with your
Centrelink 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 was assessed
as non-viable under the initial financial viability assessment session and voluntary in other
cases.
40.
Did you develop a Plan with a Centrelink Farm Help contact person?
Yes
No


(Go to Question 41)
(Go to Question 43)
Note: Only answer Questions 41 and 42 if you developed a Plan
41.
How do you rate your experience of the following elements of the Plan process? (Tick
one box only)


42.
Little
Help
Helpful
Very
Helpful








How do you rate the Plan process in terms of the following? (Tick one box only)




43.
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
















Do you have any comments regarding the Plan?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
FARMING ACTIVITIES
44.
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
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
Sheep wool
Ranking
Before
Type of Activity
Before Farm Help
Sheep Meat
Cotton
Beef Cattle
Pigs
Poultry - meat
Poultry - eggs
Crops – grain – please specify:
Sugarcane
Flowers
Nursery
Beekeeper
Crops – other - please specify:
Other livestock – please specify:
Fruit – please specify:
Aquaculture – please specify:
Vegetables – please specify:
Ranking
Before
Other – please specify:
45.
46.
Did you change your main farming activities after accessing Farm Help?
Yes

(Go to Question 46)
No

(Go to Question 48 over the page)
Note: Only answer this question if you have changed your main farming activity since accessing
Farm Help: What are your main farming activities now? This will indicate any changes that have
been made since you applied to the Program. Please indicate in the table below what your 3 main farming activities are
now. Rank them in the order of importance where 1 represents the most important activity. For example, if your farm is
primarily a dairy farm, but you also earn a small income from poultry, then you would place 1 next to dairy and 2 next to
poultry.
Type of Activity
Now
Ranking
Now
Type of Activity
Now
Dairy Cattle
Sheep wool
Sheep Meat
Cotton
Beef Cattle
Pigs
Poultry - meat
Poultry - eggs
Crops – grain – please specify:
Sugarcane
Flowers
Nursery
Beekeeper
Crops – other - please specify:
Other livestock – please specify:
Fruit – please specify:
Aquaculture – please specify:
Vegetables – please specify:
Ranking
Now
Other – please specify:
47. Note: Only answer this question if you have changed your main farming activity since accessing
Farm Help: Please indicate the main factors that influenced you to change the main
farming activities. (Tick as many boxes as required)
Pathways Plan developed with Centrelink
 Better commodity prices in new activity

Pests and/or disease
 Professional advice–financial / business

Weather Conditions
 Professional advice – agronomist/

agriculturalist/other
Other reason (please specify):

Farm Help Post Program Assessment Questionnaire: Income Support Recipients V5
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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
48.
How is your farm’s financial viability position now compared to when the initial
application for Farm Help was made? (Please tick one box only)
Better
No change
Worse
49.
 (Go to Question 49)
 (Go to Question 50)
 (Go to Question 51)
If you ticked better, please indicate the reasons for the improvement in the financial
viability of your farm. (Tick all relevant boxes)
Farm Help income support

Professional advice

Commodity prices

Farming/management techniques

Weather conditions

Sale of farm stock, machinery or farm land

Off-farm income

Budgeting issues

Debt reconstruction

Plan developed with Centrelink


Other reason (please specify)
Once you have completed Question 49, please proceed to Question 52
50.
If you ticked no change, please indicate the reason. (Tick all relevant boxes).
Commodity prices

Professional advice issues

Weather conditions

Sale of farm stock, machinery or farm land

Budgeting issues

Other reason (please specify)

Once you have completed Question 50, please proceed to Question 52
51.
If you ticked worse, please indicate the reason. (Tick all relevant boxes)
Commodity prices

Professional advice issues

Weather conditions

Sale of farm stock, machinery or farm land

Cessation of off-farm income

Budgeting issues

Other reason (please specify)
Once you have completed Question 51, please proceed to Question 52

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Commonwealth Government Statistical Clearing House Approval Number 01000 - 02
POST PROGRAM EVALUATION
52.
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).
No Help
Aspect of the Program
Helpful
Very
Helpful
Help
Program’s assistance to make informed decisions
on the farm’s future





Program’s assistance to help me to plan for my
family’s future





Income assistance to enable the farm to get over a
bad patch





Initial farm financial viability assessment to help
clarify options





Identification of on-farm improvements or
alternative activities





Plan developed with Centrelink Farm Help contact
person















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





Regular contact with Centrelink
Ability to seek other advice within the program
53.
Little
Are there any improvements you would like to see made to any aspect of the Farm
Help program?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
54.
What impact did Farm Help have upon you and your family?
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
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55.
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
56.

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.