With Labor handed another three years, drought must be the political focus

The Advertiser

26-05-2025

Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory.
Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994.
The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production.
But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high.
And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses.
Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected.
A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable.
Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks.
The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are.
And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful?
Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed.
Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts.
But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls.
Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers".
We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory.
Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994.
The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production.
But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high.
And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses.
Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected.
A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable.
Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks.
The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are.
And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful?
Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed.
Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts.
But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls.
Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers".
We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory.
Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994.
The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production.
But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high.
And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses.
Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected.
A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable.
Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks.
The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are.
And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful?
Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed.
Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts.
But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls.
Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers".
We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by ACM national rural affairs reporter Jason Gregory.
Severe droughts flattened farm production every 18 years or so in Australia before becoming more frequent since 1994.
The Millennium drought was a 15-year horror show for many that ended in 2010 with the arrival of La Nina, before a sustained dry took hold three years later that became the 2017-2019 drought, before La Nina again rained hope and spiked production.
But the period was dampened by Covid and geopolitical strife that broke supply chains and sent inputs sky high.
And it didn't stop raining as the eastern seaboard was flooded and it has barely stopped in Queensland and northern NSW, where farmers this week were again moving livestock from swollen rivers and authorities again delivered industry-specific emergency responses.
Further south, Victorian, Tasmanian and SA farmers started tapping water tanks two years ago, while 18pc of west and south-west NSW is now drought-affected.
A recent Grain Producer Australia meeting heard growers were dry seeding and waiting, anxiously, for rain. Livestock markets are being bombarded as producers, many still restocking from the last destock, are again forced into tough decisions as importing water and feed becomes untenable.
Farm leaders are calling on state and federal leaders to visit these areas - and they must.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told this masthead that she would in the coming weeks.
The face-to-face will hopefully provide insight into the private kitchen table conversations farming families have about how bad things really are.
And, as industry leaders take to social media imploring farmers to hold on, how many have had a gutful?
Any visits would also send a message to rural communities that proactive policies, strategies and resources are on the way.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin correctly points out that, while producers know how to manage and prepare for dry periods, they still require tools and programs to keep the nation fed.
Federal Labor is honing well-resourced battle plans, based around mitigating the effects of climate change, to fight future droughts.
But, now the election is won, it must shelve talking points about growing market access, supermarket price gouging and buying Australian to skirt Trump's tariffs, until it takes a health check of the nation's food bowls.
Nationals MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, said "our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust, and nor can our farmers".
We hope that governments are ready to meet the challenge.