Gippsland offered $1.55m to prepare for drought

Gippsland will have access to up to $1.55 million for projects that aim to help communities prepare for future drought, with regional organisations and businesses invited to help coordinate the work.

The funding gives those in Gippsland an opportunity to put their drought resilience plans into action.

The focus is on preparation and being proactive instead of reactive, with the announcement concerning projects to help communities withstand future dry periods, as opposed to making direct payments to individual farmers who are facing immediate hardship.

Minister for Agriculture Michaela Settle announced the funding round on Friday, October 2, under the second phase of the Future Drought Fund’s Regional Drought Resilience Planning program.

The Victorian and federal governments jointly fund the program, which will give nine Victorian regions access to up to $1.55 million each.

“Farming has always meant dealing with the weather, but a changing climate and El Niño are making the seasons more uncertain and the old patterns less reliable,” Ms Settle said.

“We can’t control the weather, but we can help farmers prepare for it.”

The first phase supported the development of drought resilience plans across nine different regions, including Gippsland, as $3.42 million was invested in more than 47 activities.

The phase that comes next is implementation.

This phase will fund local projects that put those plans to work, and Agriculture Victoria is seeking expressions of interest from regional organisations and businesses to coordinate the program in each region.

And up to $5 million will support projects addressing drought challenges shared across regional boundaries.

“This funding is about helping farmers get ahead of the next drought,” Ms Settle said.

The program forms part of more than $66.8 million in joint Victorian and federal investment in drought preparedness and resilience through to 2029.

It builds on Victoria’s $146.5 million Drought Support Package, which supports farmers and regional communities managing dry conditions.

Further information and application details are available at agriculture.vic.gov.au/futuredroughtfund.