Latest news with #NSWFarmers
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Drowned herds. Towns underwater. Farmers in NSW are facing ‘absolute devastation'
For dairy farmer James McRae, the floods arrived in a perfect storm. It had been a wet autumn on the New South Wales mid-north coast, saturating the soil, which made it hard to sow new pastures. When 200mm of rain hit overnight on Monday, low-lying farms in his community of Barrington were 'completely decimated'. One of McRae's friends remained on his farm with his cattle for days until he had to be rescued by boat, leaving the cows behind to drown. Another, with a young family, has lost whole herds – including calves – their house and their machinery, three years after their farm was inundated in 2021. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'They've lost absolutely everything, just completely blank-slated,' he said. 'How do you even get through that? You've got young farmers being impacted by this, and they're probably thinking: 'where do we go from here? Can we rebuild? Can we get back on track?' 'A generation of farmers are potentially going to go out of the industry.' The vice-president of the NSW Farmers, Rebecca Reardon, said many farmers that have been hit by this week's devastating floods were still recovering from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, when paddocks had become waterlogged, making it near impossible to get pastures ready to feed their stock through winter. 'This is a horrific flood,' she said. 'There's going to be infrastructure damage, further road damage which will affect getting fresh milk to market and machinery losses, pasture losses. 'It's too late in the season to be able to re-sow and grow pasture, because we're going into the cold period … there's a huge knock-on effect. 'You're running into the hundreds of millions [in losses], and it's going to be very difficult for some of these guys to get back on their feet.' Then there was the personal toll. Reardon said losing livestock was 'very distressing for any farmer', and this time the flood was so high many had been unable to get their animals to higher ground. 'A lot of these guys are coming off those 2021 floods, it will be heartbreaking for some. There's no doubt, it's events like these which make people rethink if they can continue to farm,' she said. As in so many natural disasters, community spirit kicked into gear. At St Joseph's primary school in the town of Taree, where a record deluge had inundated the Manning River, locals were taking care of five horses that were rescued by boat after becoming stranded. Businesses were quick to offer free food and hot showers to residents who had lost their homes, while local volunteers rushed out on dinghies conducting rescues. But despite their resilience, locals had questions as to why a natural disaster declaration wasn't made earlier, and how it had taken so long for rescues to occur. As of Thursday afternoon, three people had died, one remained missing and 48,000 people were isolated as the flood waters 'smashed through' communities on the mid-north coast and parts of the Hunter. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, warned people were experiencing 'levels of rise in local tributaries, creeks, rivers, that we haven't seen since 1920'. Taree resident Emma Browne said volunteer rescuers were 'tired and need help'. 'The community is now launching their own boats to help rescue people still waiting for two days,' she said. 'Where's the navy, army and everyone else?' About 20km south-east of Taree at Old Bar, Miranda Saunders was watching items wash ashore from Farquhar Inlet – one of the entrances from the Manning River. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Lounges, mattresses and chairs from churches had all spilled downstream alongside council barriers, shoes and cows, which washed up on beaches as far south as Forster. 'I know so many people that had to leave or are staying to try to save their homes,' she said. 'In 2019, we had the fires. In 2021, the record floods. And now this. 'In Taree … streets are waist deep. Wingham is completely under water. A national disaster should have been declared on Tuesday afternoon … our first responders do an incredible job, but they're overwhelmed.' Saunders, the station manager of 2TLP 103.3 Ngarralinyi, broadcast live to the Old Bar community for 15 hours on Tuesday from her kitchen, taking song requests from families and singles who had lost their power and were relying on radios to get information. 'From 7am to 9pm, I was on air … bringing comfort, connection, and critical updates to our community during one of the toughest days we've faced,' she said, describing the feeling across the community as one of 'absolute devastation'. Apart from extensive road closures, she hadn't been personally affected by the flooding, but her sister-in-law, along with her husband and four children, had to evacuate their home by boat late yesterday as flood waters entered their home. At the bend of the Manning River at Tinonee, Janeece Irving had just been elected to the local council on Wednesday when she evacuated her home, right next to where a ferry would cross to Taree in the 19th century. Her house was built in the 1930s, set 6 metres above the river on a hill. In two decades living there, this was the first flood where she'd had to evacuate. 'It's coming around over the top of my deck and under the house,' she said, speaking from her neighbour's property which was on safer higher land. 'We're just not prepared for this kind of flooding event … the volume of water is insane. It was just too scary for me to stay in the house – I was in fight or flight mode, I thought I was going to be washed away.' Her house was still standing strong on Thursday afternoon, but she knew what was to come – mopping up 'sticky, smelly mud', that was full of bacteria and clung to everything. 'I'm standing out here looking at the river, and there's this smell, like a dead animal smell coming off the river,' she said. 'I've lived in this valley for 60 years, came here when I was two. We're flood prone, but I've never seen anything like this.' Back in Barrington, McRae considered himself lucky. Their property was set among hills, so despite pasture damage and a power outage, the cattle had survived. He was just hoping grants provided in the 2021 floods would be available this time – which saved people from going out of business. In the meantime, his friends who had lost everything were in 'no state to talk'. He feared for the PTSD, and the years of recovery ahead. 'It's devastating,' he said. 'Completely devastating.'
The Advertiser
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Farm leaders call for agriculture minister to prioritise drought-ridden regions
Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall.
