A new Australian Government drought plan

6 September 2024

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858
CANBERRA ACT 2601

To Whom it May Concern

RE: National Drought Plan: Consultation Draft

Agriculture and farming are particularly important to the Corangamite region, where 78% of the catchment is in private ownership and agriculture is the dominant land use within the region.
Approximately 3,450 agricultural businesses operate across 772,436 hectares of the
Corangamite region generating an annual value of almost $1.5 billion. Therefore, we are acutely aware of the impacts of drought and the importance of building the resilience of the agricultural sector to these impacts and welcome the opportunity to comment on the Consultation Draft of the National Drought Plan.

The plan offers a great opportunity to highlight and acknowledge the role that regional NRM organisations, such as Catchment Management Authorities in Victoria, have in working with farmers and the agriculture sector to build resilience to drought and respond to drought conditions. Regional NRM organisations have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of our farming communities and are well connected to these communities through established networks, and therefore a natural fit for drought resilience measures. There is an opportunity to refer to regional NRM organisations throughout the plan when discussing partnership opportunities.

In addition, through the establishment of the Panel of Regional Delivery Partners, the Australian
Government has access to an established panel of services providers who can deliver programs to support farmers and farming communities prepare for the effects of drought through the life of this plan. Regional NRMs have already delivered the Natural Capital and Biodiversity
Emergency Response and Preparedness Plans, and there is a great opportunity to leverage this regional planning to support the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program.
Whilst the plan highlights the importance of working with the agriculture sector to mitigate the impacts of climate change and achieving emissions reduction efforts, it would also be prudent to acknowledge that drought and dry conditions can also reduce the ability of farmers to achieve emissions reduction on farm in the same capacity.

As identified in the plan, the Climate Services for Agriculture program provides the My Climate
View platform for farmers and communities to understand the implications of climate change.
However, it would be beneficial for the plan to include details of how this platform can be promoted to farmers and agricultural sectors to improve up-take and use of the tool. The tool could also further be enhanced by including historic data from pre-1964 to improve understanding of change in climate conditions over a longer timeframe.

We thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the plan, and should you require clarification or wish to discuss our comments further, please contact

Yours sincerely

Amber Clarke
Chief Executive Officer