Have your say – Future Drought Fund Public Consultations
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The Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee (Committee) will hold public consultation meetings in Moree Plains Shire on Wednesday 27 November 2019 and the Committee are seeking advice from farmers, local community members and industry organisations on how to best invest in drought resilience.
The Committee will convene two face-to-face meetings on Wednesday 27 November 2019 at Moree Service Club:
Meeting at 9.00 am to 10.30 am Meeting at 1.30 pm to 3.00 pmRegister to attend either of these sessions at: https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/future-drought-fund?tool=news_feed#tool_tab
Beginning in July 2020, the Federal Government will provide $100 million each year to support projects and activities to enhance drought resilience of Australian farmers and communities; these projects will be designed to make agriculture more productive and profitable and enhance the wellbeing of our farming communities and sustainability of our farming sector.
Mayor Katrina Humphries encourages all community members to attend the consultation to ensure their input is received and forms part of the Committee’s funding initiatives.
“Drought is a common part of the harsh Australian landscape and an issue Moree Plains Shire is no stranger to; it is a challenge we are facing now and will face again in the future.
“I am really pleased to see the Federal Government’s commitment to the Future Drought Fund. It is vitally important for our community members to participate in shaping the future policy of the Government, so I encourage everyone to come along.
“The Future Drought Fund is an opportunity to provide input and ensure funding is spent to its maximum benefit”, said Mayor Humphries.
The Committee will consult with stakeholders across Australia, with the Committee itself having expertise in agriculture economics, climate risk, rural and regional development and natural resource management.
The Committee will review all feedback and provide advice on a draft plan to the Minister of Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management; the aim being for this plan to be a high level framework to guide funding decisions and activities.
The plan will be reviewed every 4 years to ensure it includes relevant priorities that are future focused and will be assessed by the Productivity Commission prior to its expiry assessing the plan’s economic, social and environmental outcomes.
Council’s Acting General Manager Mitchell Johnson said, “We welcome the invitation to participate in formulating the plan. Our community members live and breathe the consequences of this insidious drought and are best placed to ensure that pro-active approaches to drought resilience make their way into government policy.
For members of the community who are unable to attend the meetings on Wednesday 27 November, feedback can be provided by downloading and reading the draft Drought Resilience Funding Plan and using the online form to complete an online survey, upload a written response, or do both.
To read the draft Drought Resilience Funding plan, follow this link: https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/48071/documents/119129
To complete the online survey or upload a written response, follow this link: https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/future-drought-fund/survey_tools/future-drought-fund-survey
Photograph: Australia Government graphic, ‘Have your say on the Future Drought Fund’.