The Bennett family, who have 1400 acres of land between father John and sons Trevor and Russell, met with Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy and Nationals leader Peter Walsh at Bundara in Everton Upper yesterday.

Hodgson Creek runs through 460 acres and destroyed 8 kilometres of fencing around Bundara alone when it burst its banks last year.

Trevor Bennett said they had also lost hay, used for their sheep.

“We’ve spent $8500 on just materials and we’re putting in our own labour, so that takes time away from other priorities for the farm at this time of year,” he said.

“There’s debris and weeks on a lot of our pastures.

“We have to get them right for our stock – that’s the main concern.”

His father John said the heat had made it difficult for his family and his neighbours, trying to repair fencing.

“We’ve never had floods go over the creek bank before, not in my time and we’ve been here 58 years,” Mr Bennett said.

“We’ve had North East Catchment Management Authority come along, but it doesn’t seem there’s much chance of getting things done for a while.

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“Peter and Tim are trying to see if we can get any reimbursement for materials we’ve put into fencing.”

Mr McCurdy is calling on the Victorian government to provide $10,000 cash grants per farm for fencing and will table a petition in parliament in coming weeks.

“Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes needs to come out here and see the damage,” he said.

Mr Walsh said programs were prisoners assisted in flood clean-up were no longer happening.

“The red tape and rules have made it impossible, but when it happened in Ararat a few years ago I know the prisoners and farmers were both happy about it,” he said.

“There’s been exceptional flood events where there has been capital grants given for fencing material.”