Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Drought

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (19:46): (1656) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture. The government’s drought package not only is inadequate but also excludes farmers in Northern Victoria other than those in the Towong shire. The action that I seek is for the minister to increase the funding available for drought relief and also add the remaining municipalities in northern Victoria to the list of eligible areas.

During 2024 parts of Victoria experienced record low rainfall. In September last year the state government announced drought support for 11 municipalities in south-west Victoria, and in May this year a further 13 local government areas were added to the list of eligible recipients. But the updated drought relief map excludes many shires that are suffering extended dry conditions and desperately need assistance. It added Northern Grampians but excluded Loddon shire, it added Hepburn but excluded Macedon Ranges shire and it added Baw Baw but excluded Mansfield and Murrindindi.

Last week I received an email from a cattle farmer in Monegeetta. She is struggling terribly due to the drought and wrote to tell me how shocked and disgusted she was to find out that she and other farmers in the Macedon Ranges shire were not eligible to receive drought support. She also asked how Macedon Ranges can be excluded from the drought map when it has had half as much rain as some of the areas that were included.

I have been contacted by the mayors of the Strathbogie, Mansfield, Murrindindi, Alpine, Indigo and Mitchell shires, the rural cities of Benalla and Wangaratta and the cities of Wodonga and Greater Shepparton, as well as the administrator of Moira shire, all of whom are deeply concerned at the exclusion of their municipality from the list. I have been contacted by farmers from across northern Victoria who are deeply distressed that there is no assistance available to them. The government needs to recognise that many farms that used to be in the irrigation districts are now without water due to this government reducing the irrigation footprint.

Drought relief not only needs to be increased, it also needs to be direct. The current Victorian program, which supplies co-contribution grants for on-farm infrastructure and grain storage, is a support package for future droughts, but Victorian farmers actually need a support package for this drought. Animals are starving. The price of hay and feed is going through the roof, and what farmers need right now is direct financial assistance to help feed livestock, and transport subsidies. They also need the state government to implement regulatory changes to facilitate the quicker and more abundant delivery of vital feed for starving animals. Drought assistance needs to cover more areas, but it also needs to have an increased in funding. $29 million just is not enough. Even South Australia has committed $73 million. The government’s tripling of the fire services levy for farmers at this very time is cruel and should be reversed.