Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, right, listens to farmers.

THE Victorian Farmers Federation has called for prompt implementation of council allocations under an additional $75 million drought support package announced by the state’s government last week.

The drought support includes:

• $35.8m for 12 south-west Victorian councils to administer targeted drought relief;
• $15m investment for the East Grampians Rural Pipeline;
• $2m for the Country Women’s Association to provide food and grocery support of up to $1000 per household;
• $6.3m to cover the cost of farmer exemptions on government fees and charges, such as livestock transaction fees;
• $5.5m for standpipes, emergency and private bores;
• $3.5m towards a south-west water strategy;
• $1m for Catchment Management Authority employment programs;
• $5.9m to continue the Look over the Farm Gate program and continue funding of Agriculture Victoria’s farm technical decision making program.

VFF president Brett Hosking said the continued support is sorely needed and testament to the sustained advocacy from VFF, farmers and the wider regional community.

“You can’t overstate how devastating this drought has been to our regional communities and the only certainty we know is the recovery will take years.

“Genuine support is what’s needed and this announcement is a step in the right direction,” he said.

Council allocation must begin without delay

Mr Hosking said it’s the VFF’s expectation that the entirety of funding allocations to local councils is fully and promptly passed onto drought-hit communities without delay.

“Our communities are hurting right now and it’s my expectation that this money goes directly to drought-hit farmers straight away and paid in full.

“Immediate rate relief is a good example of how that can be done and is something we’ve been calling for,” he said.

Mr Hosking said the VFF had for some time been calling for increased investment to complete the East Grampians Rural Pipeline to ensure the region is better placed to respond to future droughts.

“We are now just waiting for the Federal Water Minister, Murray Watt, to confirm their co-contribution and work can commence on getting this done.

“Government support is vital to help the industry at this time,” Mr Hosking said.

“We’ve seen initial support from the Victorian Government and now we need the Federal Government to step in and do their bit.

“We’re in this for the long haul and whilst we thank the Victorian Government for their support, by no means are we out of the woods just yet, he said.

“The VFF has employed a Drought Support Officer to be on the ground speak to speak with farmers and rural communities and we will continue to monitor conditions and ensure government is informed to provide further support to farmers as the season continues.”

The Victorian Government said its Primary Producer Support Payments will provide eligible farmers with the equivalent of a 40 per cent reduction on their property rates. This would provide much needed cash flow relief for farmers in the south-west Victorian Local Government Areas of Ararat, Moyne, Colac Otway, Pyrenees, Corangamite, Southern Grampians, Glenelg, Surf Coast, Golden Plains, Warrnambool, City of Greater Geelong and southern parts of West Wimmera. Local councils will distribute the payments.

Agriculture Victoria will also work with the livestock biosecurity compensation fund advisory committees, Dairy Food Safety Victoria and PrimeSafe to explore opportunities to waive biosecurity duties and regulatory fees and charges. Agriculture Victoria will also waive indexation on its 2025-26 biosecurity fees and charges and provide targeted fee relief to assist farmers experiencing cashflow challenges.

The East Grampians Rural Pipeline will increase access to a reliable and high-quality water supply from Lake Fyans to around 750 additional rural properties, 10 local towns, 34 fire hydrants, and 66 tanks for firefighting in the Ararat Rural City, Northern Grampians, and Pyrenees Shire.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the addition support delivers “real help, right now.”

“This isn’t just about dollars – it’s about backing the people who feed our state and the regional communities that keep our state strong.

“Thank you to the members of the Drought Response Taskforce – Victorians from different communities, backgrounds and political parties who came together to deliver real relief for farming communities,” she said.

Minister for Agriculture and Acting Minister for Water Ros Spence said cashflow relief was one of the major items raised with the taskforce and why the Victorian Government is helping farmers to create more room in their budgets to deal with the cost pressures they are facing in drought.

“Responding to the taskforce and our regional communities, we are investing in both short-term solutions and legacy infrastructure to improve resilience and water security for farmers and their communities.”