Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Drought

Bill TILLEY (Benambra) (10:41): We had a couple of points of rain late last week on the border, with long-term forecasts not overly promising. The drought is a long way from over, and the rain has come too late for any cropping. It has come too late for any meaningful growth of feed or for livestock. The only positive from that rain was that domestic water tanks will not be completely drained. The Towong shire in the Benambra district was recently included in the LGAs eligible for the government drought support package, and I do thank the Minister for Agriculture for receiving my approaches and for Towong’s inclusion. I have also now written to the minister for neighbouring Indigo LGA for further consideration.

I have also called for some additional measures to be added to the package to deal with the here and now. As the package stands, it is a co-contribution for hay sheds and poly pipe up to about 5K from the farmer and $5,000 from the government or the taxpayer. What our farmers need is financial assistance to buy and transport feed and fodder, and in some instances they need water. Farmers across the district are struggling. They are paying exorbitant transport costs, in many cases in excess of $5500, just to bring fodder in from interstate. Some in the Rutherglen area are unable to differentiate between their cropping and grazing paddocks, as their properties have become dust bowls.