Thursday, 29 May 2025

Drought

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (22:11): (1696) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Agriculture. I would like to acknowledge the state government’s support of the motion put forward yesterday by my colleague Bev McArthur regarding the need for urgent support for drought-affected farmers. The action I seek is for the government to urgently deliver on this commitment to identify other areas of rural Victoria, including the north-east and central Victoria, also experiencing significant drought conditions and to provide immediate targeted help to drought-affected areas, including subsidised water supply for agricultural purposes and financial assistance with fodder and water delivery.

It has been very difficult to find hay. I was speaking with a supplier who put 3500 bales for sale online, and it sold the same day. People are travelling right across the state. You can see trucks carting hay everywhere and now coming from further afield. Water cartage operators are flat chat. Some are taking weeks to deliver water because of the demand. I spoke with Dan Straub, mayor of the Shire of Loddon, who has raised concerns that their shire is not considered to be in drought. Dryland farmers are desperate trying to feed livestock, and some are facing uncertainty, not sure if they will even get a crop this year. They do not appear to have a Bureau of Meteorology weather station. The data comes from outside their shire, and it is not accurate. They appear to be in a black hole. Many councils are wondering why they have not been declared drought affected when the conditions on the ground are so dire. The minister will have received correspondence from the mayor of Murrindindi shire, Cr Damien Gallagher:

… I write to express disappointment and concern that our region has been excluded from the State’s expanded drought support package …

It goes on to say:

Across our Shire, primary producers, particularly in the cattle sector, are being forced to destock due to the lack of feed and the near-exhaustion of hay supplies and on-farm water storages. The financial and emotional toll is growing, with broader impacts already being felt by rural businesses and local communities.

The government’s drought package missed the mark, and that has been noted in the correspondence as well. Mansfield shire have also written to the minister, and they have expressed great frustration, particularly at the passing of the emergency services tax. The Victorian Farmers Federation has also been a strong advocate. President Brett Hosking has put forward initiatives in a framework that highlights longer term barriers: the need for improvements in pest control and improved freight access for fodder transport. My Nationals colleague Annabelle Cleeland has sponsored a petition that has had over 6000 people sign it. People do not want to get handouts, but they need a fair go and they are running out of options. Their paddocks are bare, dams are dry and the cost of transporting hay and water is climbing by the week. Food security is a top priority, and farmers affected by drought need urgent support. Right now there are people selling their livestock and paying $500 a tonne for feed and thousands carting water just to keep stock alive.