Thursday, 15 May 2025

Northern Victoria Region

Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (12:43): My constituency question today is for the Treasurer, and my constituents ask if the Treasurer will expand and increase the drought support package to cover the Northern Victoria region. These last six months have been some of the driest for my region of Northern Victoria in many years, with little to no rainfall being measured. Feed for stock is becoming increasingly scarce, water sources are drying up and our farmers are facing more financial strain than ever with mounting costs, taxes and levies being heaped upon them. My constituents feel neglected and their plight forgotten, unlike their neighbours in the south-west of the state, who have already been given access to this vital package. Farming is the lifeblood of our communities in the north, and by acting now and releasing these funds to farmers already feeling the impact of the dry season, my constituents hope that the disastrous sell-off of what few family farms remain can be avoided. Treasurer, my constituents ask: will you expand and increase the drought support package to cover the Northern Victoria Region?