Thursday, 11 September 2025

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:17): Despite recent rain, we know drought continues to impact many farmers across the state. With poor rainfall in south-west Victoria for the past 18 months, many dams are still low. Led by the Premier’s drought taskforce, our government’s $144 million drought support package is supporting water access to farmers in need, and I am pleased to announce that expressions of interest are now open for the Farmer Helping Farmer program. Through this program we will enable drought-impacted farmers to access emergency water for livestock by partnering with private landholders to access underutilised water supplies.

We know that farmers need immediate support. Through Farmer Helping Farmer we will support our agricultural sector in the south-west through the upcoming summer. This is an opportunity now to better utilise the high-quality, drought-resilient South West Limestone aquifer. The program will enable Southern Rural Water to explore infrastructure upgrades for volunteer local landholders in the region to facilitate access to their groundwater bores to help their neighbours in need. This is an opportunity for local farmers with local knowledge to shape a drought response that could benefit the region for many years to come. While many farmers and regional communities are still grappling with the challenges of drought conditions, it is important that we all continue to follow the statewide permanent water-saving rules. Every drop is precious, something our regions know only too well.