Joint media release: Future Drought Fund: delivering better risk management in partnership with Queensland

• Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund is supporting farmers and regions in Queensland.
• Two Future Drought Fund programs rolling out now will help give farmers and regional communities the tools and capabilities they need to build drought resilience.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud announced two Future Drought Fund programs, Farm Business Resilience and Regional Drought Resilience Planning to support Queensland farmers and regions to build resilience to future droughts.  

“Under the Farm Business Resilience Program farmers will have access to subsidised learning and development opportunities in strategic business management,

farm risk management and decision-making, natural resource management and personal and social resilience,” Minister Littleproud said.

“In Queensland, the program will be rolled out in close partnership with industry to take farmers’ knowledge and skills to the next level.” 

A suite of industry specific training modules have been developed to expand existing industry farm management programs and extend this support to other industries. This support will roll out in partnership between the Future Drought Fund, Queensland state government and industry including representatives from horticulture, livestock, sugar, broad acre cropping, intensives and dairy.

Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the program would help farm businesses to develop Farm Business Resilience Plans, a key step in helping producers manage their climate and other risks.

“Producers can attend a Farm Business Resilience Program workshop or training run by industry organisations and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to help develop a plan, they can write a plan themselves, or engage professional assistance,” Mr Furner said.

“If they engage professional assistance, producers can apply for a Farm Management Grant to receive a 50 per cent rebate of up to $2,500 of the cost.”

The second program offering support to communities is the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program.

“Queensland farmers and regions across Australia will have an opportunity to develop regional drought resilience plans to prepare for and manage future drought risks,” Minister Littleproud said.

“The plans will identify how to manage through droughts by finding ways to build resilience across agricultural sectors and allied industries. Planning will be community-led and owned. It will bring regional knowledge and perspectives, along with the best available evidence and data.”
  
In Queensland, the regional planning process will be supported by the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence (ReCoE) and will align with Resilient Queensland, a plan under the Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience.

The Regional Drought Resilience Planning program will begin with five key regions across Queensland: Fitzroy and Capricornia; Darling Downs; South Burnett; Cape York and Torres Strait; Burdekin and Charters Towers; and South West. 

Minister Furner said: “The Regional Drought Resilience Planning (RDRP) program will support local government groups to write regional drought resilience plans, ensuring greater regional coordination of responses and supporting local solutions.”

The Australian Government welcomes Queensland’s partnership in these important Future Drought Fund initiatives. 

For more details visit the Australian Government Future Drought Fund webpage.

Fast Facts:

• Queensland has received $4.4 million in Future Drought Fund funding for Farm Business Resilience and $1.8 million for Regional Drought Resilience Planning.
• The Farm Business Resilience program and Regional Drought Resilience Planning program are key programs under the Australian Government’s $5 billion Future Drought Fund.  
• The Australian Government has recently announced an additional $91 million funding for both programs over 3 years beyond the foundational year and will be working with states and territories on the detail.