Drought engagement

The third meeting of the National Drought Network was held on Tuesday 6 August 2024, with over 120 people attending virtually.

The Australian Government (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) provided updates on:

• National Drought Agreement 2024-2029 – currently in effect as of 1 July 2024. This intergovernmental agreement explains how we are working together to help Australian agriculture better withstand drought.
• National Drought Plan – open for public consultation until 11 September 2024. This will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to comment on the consultation draft and inform the new Drought Plan.
• Drought conditions are being monitored across Australia – in particular Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia. Farmers can access support by: 
  • drawing down on their Farm Management Deposit holdings,
  • accessing the Rural Financial Counselling Service for assistance,
  • seeking a concessional loan via the Regional Investment Corporation, and
  • accessing the Farm Household Allowance when individuals have taken a significant financial hit. 
    Visit drought.gov.au for more information.
• Future Drought Fund – This year’s budget committed over $519 million over the next 8 years to the FDF for these programs as well as to enable capacity to measure and share outcomes. The performance review of the Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs, recommended by the Productivity Commission review into the Fund, has formally commenced and is due to be completed by early 2025. New grant opportunities are opening soon and the call for applications will commence shortly. Keep up to date on the FDF by checking the department’s website.
• Review of the operation of the Regional Investment Corporation Act 2018 – The review report was recently published and tabled in parliament. It covered the scope of the corporations activities and appropriate governance arrangements after June 30, 2026, as well as legislation and eligibility criteria for loans, and the effectiveness of the RIC (Regional Investment Corporation). 

The network heard presentations from:

• The Bureau of Meteorology, which provided updates on the current weather conditions and long-range forecast across Australia as well as the Bureau's climate and drought communications and tools. The Bureau highlighted the value of the Weekly Agriculture, Climate and Water Update. Subscribe by emailing agriculture@bom.gov.au. The Bureau re-iterated how the long-range forecast can be used to better understand future conditions across Australia in the coming season. There is also a long-range forecast video that is updated every few weeks on the Bureau’s YouTube channel.
• Representatives from Foundation For Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) presented on their FDF- funded program which focuses on helping regional communities prepare for drought. The initiative represents the second stage of their work towards the ‘Better Prepared Communities’ principle of the FDF. The program is set to run for three years (2022-2025) and is made up of 5 elements that are managed between the FRRR and the ARLF. They aim to help strengthen communities and improve drought preparation by investing in social outcomes through leadership programs, networking, capability building, events and training.

Attendees are invited to provide feedback on the network and future agenda items at any time. This can be done by emailing droughtpolicy@aff.gov.au

The second meeting of the National Drought Network was held on Tuesday 26 March 2024, with over 100 people attending virtually.

The Australian Government (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) provided updates on:

• The National Drought Plan – expected to l be released for public consultation mid-2024. This will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to comment on the consultation draft and inform the new Drought Plan.
• The National Drought Agreement – this is currently being progressed through First Ministers for endorsement so it can come into effect mid-2024.
• The Future Drought Fund – as part of the FDF, Nuffield is offering drought resilience scholarships for the 2025 program. Applications are open until 31 May.
• The Climate-Smart Agriculture Program – two grant rounds are currently open – the Partnerships and Innovation grants, closing on 8 April and the Capacity Building grants, closing on 28 March. Information about both grant rounds is on the Community Grants Hub.

The network heard presentations from:

• The Bureau of Meteorology who presented on its Climate Outlook, as well as recent media sentiment, and reflections on the Bureau's climate and drought communications. The Bureau re-iterated that the long-range forecast is the best source of information for future conditions across Australia in the coming season.

  The session referenced several activities with Bureau involvement to supporting decision-making for the agriculture sector, including:

  • A dedicated agriculture section who can be contacted by emailing agriculture@bom.gov.au.
  • MyClimateView which is an interactive, digital platform developed in partnership with CSIRO, funded by the Department through the Future Drought Fund.
  • A project targeted to informing decision-making for farmers, including a National Training Program, that is now live on the Bureau’s learning platform, research and products to support interpretation of the Bureau’s long-range forecasts and an Agriculture Decision Support Service, that provides insights on the long-range forecast. An Agriculture Decision Support Service, that provides insights on the long-range forecast. These updates are available via Agriculture - YouTube.
• ABARES on the Farm Performance Forecast which includes information for 2023/24 and 2024/25. Attendees can learn more by visiting the ABARES website. An update was also provided on the Drought Early Warning System, a project developed by ABARES and CSIRO. More information is available at The Drought Early Warning System Project.
• The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development provided an update on latest weather conditions in Western Australia (WA) and discussed building biological and financial resilience farming systems. Attendees can learn more at https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/.
• The Future Drought Fund presented on public consultation outcomes, the Productivity Commission Inquiry and the commencement of new funding plan and Investment Strategy to be released in mid-2024. Attendees can find out more about the FDF at Future Drought Fund.

Attendees are invited to provide feedback on the network and future agenda items at any time. This can be done by emailing droughtpolicy@aff.gov.au.

The inaugural meeting of the National Drought Network was held on Monday 13 November 2023, with 79 people attending the virtual meeting.

The Australian Government (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) said the network:

• was established to share drought related information in a timely manner from all parties to the National Drought Agreement (Australian, state and territory governments).
• complemented, rather than replaced, other engagement and consultation activities
• expected to meet every 6 months at this stage.

The network heard presentations on the:

• Australian Government decision-making framework. The framework aimed to provide a more transparent, consistent, and collaborative process for monitoring drought conditions and their impact, and to inform advice to government on drought. Attendees could learn more or contribute to the framework by emailing DAFF on droughtpolicy@aff.gov.au.
• consultation on the Future Drought Fund’s funding plan. The Australian Government was seeking feedback until 6 December 2023 on how funding should be spent from 2024 to 2028 under the Future Drought Fund.
• current and predicted seasonal conditions. The Bureau of Meteorology ran through its latest climate outlook. It described and invited feedback on its agricultural decision support tools, including its regular regional forecasts on YouTube. Attendees could learn more by emailing the Bureau on agriculture@bom.gov.au.
• New South Wales support for primary producers. NSW Department of Primary Industries provided an update on its drought assistance and support measures. These include financial support through the Farm Innovation Fund and other drought measures listed on NSW Drought Hub.
• Queensland support for primary producers. QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries provided an update on its drought policy and programs, including the state’s Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program Network and other drought assistance measures. Attendees could learn more by emailing DAF QLD on drought@dfd.qld.gov.au.

The next meeting is expected to be held in the first half of 2024. Attendees were invited to provide feedback on the network and future agenda items.