Damian Drum (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate the Liberal-National government for its continuing commitment to providing rural support for the communities across regional Australia. I'm proud to be a member of a government that understands the needs of rural towns, farmers, small businesses and local governments, and I'm proud that we listen to their needs, visit them in their homes and offices and then deliver the support that they need.

On Tuesday 28 January, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management announced more support for communities affected by drought. Funding for farmers, small businesses, families and schools in drought affected areas across Australia is being rolled out as part of the $57 million support package. An additional 52 councils will now receive up to $1 million under the extended Drought Communities Program. In the electorate of Nicholls, this has resulted in two local governments becoming eligible for the Drought Communities Program: the Moira Shire and the Greater Shepparton City Council.

The Drought Communities Program makes funding available to eligible councils to target local infrastructure and other activities that provide employment, create a stimulus for other opportunities for areas that have been impacted by drought, and get money to start to flow through the shops and the suppliers. Drought doesn't just hurt the farmers; it hurts the small businesses and the wider communities as well. The Drought Communities Program extension keeps money flowing through these communities, such as for festivals coming to town, tourism events and creating jobs. It's a great way to help community wellbeing throughout these dry times. Building projects creates local construction jobs and also creates opportunities for people in small towns to buy something from the local shops.

In November last year, an independent review into the methodology and delivery of the objectives of the Drought Communities Program was announced by the Prime Minister. This resulted in a simplified model of assessment, but it did create further delays in the allocations while the review was underway. I wish to acknowledge the CEO of Moira Shire, Mark Henderson, and the Mayor of the Moira Shire, Libro Mustica, for their patience and understanding while waiting for that review to be completed. It was great news that Moira Shire and also the Greater Shepparton City Council were recipients in the latest round of that $47 million drought assistance package. To Peter Harriott, the CEO of the local Shepparton council; Seema Abdullah, the mayor; and Kim O'Keefe, the previous mayor: I look forward to seeing the projects these councils put forward so that they can alleviate some of the impacts that have been cast on these regions by the ongoing drought.

As I said earlier, the drought doesn't leave us with just a couple of rainfall events. We need to look to this program for further assistance in all of our drought affected communities. I applaud the government for taking this action.