October 30, 2019

The state and federal governments have been slowly easing farmers and pastoralists off government drought support for the past thirty years. In 1989 the government removed drought from the list of natural disasters such as cyclone and floods which marked the beginning of the end for on farm financial support for when the rains don’t come. The first national drought policy was enacted in 1992 which centered around the controversial exceptional circumstances (EC) provisions of

This Eastern States drought is turning out to be one of the biggest on record, bigger and drier than the centenary, second world war and millennial droughts. Running into its second year this one has now become a serious political and economic headache for the Morrison government compounded by the recent intervention of Barnaby Joyce and Alan Jones. The existing policy approach by the government which focuses on farm household support to put food on