Wednesday, 18 June 2025

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:11): I rise to update the chamber on a productive second meeting of the drought taskforce in Shepparton last Friday. We know farmers in the south-west of Victoria and across our state face incredibly tough conditions due to record low rainfall. We are working to deliver whole-of-government relief where it is needed most. Friday’s taskforce meeting focused on expanding access to affordable water for agriculture, and I thank the taskforce members for their considered input. Informed by taskforce members, I have already taken action by advocating to the Commonwealth to, firstly, pause all Victorian buybacks during this drought; two, publicly release buyback impact modelling; and three, prioritise federal funding for drought-relevant water infrastructure. In particular I wish to thank the Victorian Farmers Federation for joining my advocacy for a pause to buybacks. I have also promoted full transparency of all Commonwealth buybacks to date through a dedicated water register portal.

In partnership with our water corporations, we are also updating the public database for water carting points; providing hardship relief for water bills; establishing a dedicated water trading room for south-west farmers; identifying options for temporary water infrastructure, including recycled water; and delivering long-term water infrastructure, including $9.1 million of additional investment in the East Grampians rural pipeline project, confirmed in the latest budget papers. As I indicated to the taskforce members, I am an action-orientated minister. We have already delivered support through the water portfolio for our farmers, and we will continue to do so in consultation with taskforce members and local communities.