Thursday, 1 August 2024

Adjournment

Drought preparedness

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (17:12): (751) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action that I seek is for the minister to provide guidance to banks and local government regarding which specific areas of the state are currently impacted by green drought conditions either through LGA, postcode or the provision of a map. I understand that the specific guidance around the formal declaration of drought conditions has not yet been met. However, we are very, very close to that period, and we are looking at a failed spring last year and a failed autumn and now we are close to that spring period. We are very fortunate in our region in that we have had some rainfall over the past week or so that has provided some relief for most farmers in terms of access to water. If you look at the paddocks through that area, you can see a tinge of green. However, it is providing insufficient feed for the livestock that that land holds. As a result it is costing an enormous amount of money for our farmers to keep their stock alive. This is having a critical impact on stock numbers through the region.

If you look through the Western District, there is an area through there which holds about 10 million head of sheep, and that production now is down by about 20 per cent, either through reduced lambing due to the drought conditions or because the landholders are sending more of their sheep to go over the hook to reduce their numbers just to try and keep their heads above water and make sure that they are not going broke in feeding their livestock. We are in a position now where banks say that they can provide lower rates and local governments say that they can provide additional relief and additional support to landholders. We are hearing rural financial counsellors say they can provide additional relief and supports, but what they need is a level of consistency and the state to lead the discussion in this step before the formal declaration of a drought and just to basically put a line on a map.

I know this is a difficult thing for the government to do, but I do encourage the government to reach out and actually declare who is impacted by the certain precipitation rate, which is putting an enormous amount of pressure on our livestock producers in the south-west of the state. Even if it was the government working with local government and with the banks to provide an earlier parameter or a guidance over ‘These are the conditions. There might be a certain percentage of rainfall when it hits this point. We are a step before formal declaration of drought,’ I think this is an area where the state government must lead. Last Monday I supported our local Victorian Farmers Federation members to have a drought forum down there. It was well supported with representatives from Agriculture Victoria but also local government and of course our local farmers down there having their voice heard. I do ask the Minister for Agriculture to address these matters urgently.