Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

Our Drought Communities Program supports the most drought affected regions in Australia and builds on more than $7 billion that has been committed to help drought affected farmers and their communities. So far, 57 projects have been approved for councils across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, totalling $18 million. Boulia, in far Western Queensland, has installed three bores, and there have been upgrades to remote road infrastructure in the regions, employing locals as a result.

The Upper Hunter Shire Council is using the funding to employ a drought relief coordinator. In Gippsland, in my home state of Victoria, the local Wellington Shire is employing contractors to cart potable water to farming families—that's right, potable water; they've run out of drinking water. As Senator Williams will be well aware, seven businesses have closed in the Inverell CBD in the past five months due to financial hardship, and we're supporting his local council to stimulate his local economy as well.