While Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon, Gorton MP Brendan O'Connor and Senator Murray Watt admitted that sector would most likely welcome the proclamation, they also questioned the authenticity behind it.

According to the trio, many of the same businesses were still waiting for access to the drought aid the federal government heralded last November.

"No doubt embarrassed by past failures, Scott Morrison has been quick to say the latest assistance will be administered by state governments," said Mr O'Connor, the Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business.

"But, these are the same state governments that the federal government previously sacked from the drought task, claiming they were incapable of administering drought concessional loans.

"Having taken this task from the states, it created the under-performing Regional Investment Corporation (RIC) in 2018, another National Party pork-barrelling exercise."

Mr Fitzgibbon, Mr O'Connor and Senator Watt, the Shadow Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, said the Morrison government now had a track record of failing to deliver on promised assistance and that businesses and residents in bushfire-affected regions needed immediate access to help, not more government spin.

"Even though regional businesses would welcome the bushfire concessional loans, administered through the states, the government's drought loans administered by the federal RIC only released their criteria today, although it was announced in November," the Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources said.

"Announcing the expenditure of taxpayers' money is easy, but making sure assistance schemes are rolled-out quickly and effectively requires competence, something the government has been sadly lacking," Mr Fitzgibbon went on.

"On this occasion rural communities will be hopeful the states can do a better job than the commonwealth has been able to do with drought assistance."