Burn Area - Mallee 39 - Wargan - Walker Rd

Australia Broadcast Center 26-05-2025

The floodwaters have gone down. Now what?
Once the floodwaters go down you could be faced with structural damage to your home, contaminated water, river mud, black mould and sometimes dangerous animals. Here is some information to help with the recovery and clean up.

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Victorian premier heads up drought taskforce amid crippling dry weather

ABC News

a day ago

ABC News

Victorian premier heads up drought taskforce amid crippling dry weather

The Victorian government's newly minted drought response taskforce met on Friday for the first time, in the midst of mounting desperation from farmers struggling in the big dry. Premier Jacinta Allan chaired the meeting at Camperdown in the state's south-west, ahead of a series of events this month. Ms Allan also visited a farm in the nearby town of Derrinallum to inspect conditions for herself. The trip was tightly controlled and the meeting time and location were not made public. The state government has expanded its support for farmers who are struggling with drought conditions, with three announcements made since September. Farmers will also be relieved of paying an increased Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) levy, with the rate to be frozen at the current amount for the next financial year. About 15 CFA trucks drove up and down Camperdown's streets ahead of the premier's visit, occasionally turning on their sirens in protest. Following the meeting, Ms Allan told reporters the levy was among the issues raised at the meeting and she ruled out scrapping it. "More and more is being asked of our emergency services with more frequent and fierce flood and fire events," she said. Ms Allan said drought conditions would be monitored to inform future decisions about when the rate freeze would be lifted. Farmers have criticised the support provided by the government so far, and called for subsidies for livestock feed and fodder transport. Ms Allan said these options were on the long list of options the taskforce would return to at next week's meeting. Victorian Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh is a taskforce member. He told Statewide Drive on ABC Radio that the drought was impacting entire communities. "There needs to be something good to come out of this [taskforce] ... it can't be a talkfest," he said. "The premier heard that loud and clear. "People don't want platitudes, people want real support and help to get through this." Mr Walsh said there were fears for the future of farming as younger farmers battled in the drought. He did not believe the drizzling rain falling on Friday in the south-west region would break the drought. "It would be a start, but this grass is not going to grow very fast from now on," Mr Walsh said. Rural Councils Victoria deputy chair Kate Makin, who is also mayor of Corangamite Shire, said many ideas had been discussed, but she would not be drawn on specific proposals. "I'm thankful that they're listening and we've all got a seat at the table so our views are heard," she said. Taskforce members include government ministers, local government representatives, banks and the Victorian Farmers Federation. United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free said there needed to be other expertise, such as an agronomist and nutritionist, on the roundtable to offer practical advice on tackling the drought. "Those roles are an absolute no-brainer," he said. Mr Free said there should be farmers from across the region involved in the taskforce to offer a perspective from the ground. Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government was providing more than $1 billion of support for farmers, including funding for Victorian farmers for financial counselling and concessional loans. "We know people are doing it tough and it's been for a long period of time," Mr Albanese said.