Present Perfect vs Past Simple

Australia ... its worst drought for 1000 years.

Farmers near the Murray-Darling River are suffering badly. Ian Morris, a fruit farmer, is typical. " I ... to this area in 1980 and I ... this firm for twenty-five years."

Since 2000, things ... terrible - we ... a drought for years and years now.

This area here used to be a lake, Gidgee Desert, but now we call it the Gidgee Desert because it ... dry since 2005.

In 2001, sixty people .... on this farm but now there are only 15 of us.

A lot of farmers in this area ... their farms in the last few years.