A new Australian Government drought plan

The township of Narrabri is considered to be one of the most flood prone settlements in
NSW. The community of Wee Waa, located west of Narrabri, is periodically completely isolated by flood waters for long periods (up to two weeks) and is protected by a ring levee. Narrabri Shire contains a number of vulnerable and at-risk communities that are flood-affected. These communities have a high Aboriginal population, low socio- economic base and are also ageing in nature.

Narrabri is one of four local government areas (LGAs) within the North West Plains Sub
Region, which is part of the New England/North West Planning Region in NSW. The North
West Plains Sub Region covers Moree Plains, Narrabri, Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains and covers an area of 40,990km2. The region contains some of the most highly productive and sought-after agricultural land in NSW, where the biggest individual contribution is Moree
Plains with $864m followed by Narrabri Shire Council with $375m. Both shires are also the
LGAs with the highest agricultural employment at 34.5% and 27.4% respectively
(Department of Primary Industries 2020).

Narrabri Shire and Moree Plains are also commonly referred to as the ‘Golden Triangle’ which produces consistently high yields of prime hard wheat, and the area makes up a considerable percentage of national production of prime hard wheat. Further, both shires combined produce 47% of NSW cotton.

A total of 6,949 workers were employed in Narrabri Shire, as of 2021. This employment is concentrated in the agricultural and mining sectors. Healthcare and social assistance as well as education and training industries also provide significant employment opportunities in the Shire, having a lower monetary value but being labour intensive industries.

Mining is a capital-intensive sector, producing high output per person employed. The industry workforce is dominated by FIFO and DIDO workers from surrounding LGAs and further afield who are not captured in local employment statistics.

According to data from the 2021 Census for Narrabri, there were a total of 1501 individuals recorded working in the mining industry of employment, with 1043 (69.5%)) of these individuals travelling to Narrabri for work (i.e., they were recorded as not living in Narrabri as their usual place of residence in the 2021 Census). This indicates that Narrabri’s mining workforce is supported by people who travel to Narrabri for work.

Of the 1501 individuals recorded working in the mining industry of employment only 458
(30.5%), reside in Narrabri LGA. Second in output and employment to mining is the agriculture industry. While it remains the second largest employer in the Shire, the total number of jobs supported by the agriculture sector has declined in recent decades.

The two main factors driving this long-term decline are technological improvements that have reduced reliance on labour, and the consolidation of smaller farms into larger farms.
While the agriculture and mining sectors have created opportunities for the workforce and regional economy, the industries are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, fluctuations in global markets and government policy, each of which could have a significant impact on the local labour force.

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Narrabri Shire Council provides the following feedback to DAFF on the Australian
Government Drought Plan. Please be advised that components of this submission are identified as being confidential and are requested to be redacted prior to publication, as detailed overleaf.

Question 1: Is the Australian Government’s approach to drought across the drought cycle clear in the draft plan?

Council concurs with the proposed Drought Plan and considers that the revised format provides greater clarity.

Question 2: Is the draft plan clear as to why the Australian Government’s drought policy and response is different to that for natural disasters?

It is considered that the rationale has been appropriately articulated and provides appropriate context particularly in view of the recommendations of the Productivity
Commission inquiry into government drought support (2009). Ongoing communication and awareness-raising will be required amongst key stakeholders to traditional references to drought declarations and surrounding exceptional circumstances to the new accepted vernacular and corresponding support systems detailed under the Plan.

Question 3: Does Pillar 1 – Evidence based decision-making provide greater clarity about when, why, how and what the government will consider when determining its response to drought?

It is considered that the identified suite of tools to facilitate evidence-based decision making are appropriate in the context of the Plan. The reference to the PPRR framework, as traditionally applied to emergency management cycle, is noted on page 11 of the consultation draft. If this is the intention of the plan, then the PPRR cycle should be more clearly defined and augmented to the Plan.

Question 4: Does Pillar 2 – Strategic drought support provide greater clarity about how the Australian Government will respond across the drought cycle, including what support it will not provide?

No areas of deficiency or inconsistency have been identified with respect of Pillar 2.

Question 5: Have you identified any gaps in how we have responded to any of the review recommendations in the draft plan?

No significant gaps or deficiencies have been identified.

Question 6: Do you have any comments on the work underway for us to consider as we progress it?

Council has experienced a number of challenges in respect of drought-funded and affiliated programs which are forwarded for the information of the Department. The response contained on pp. 4 – 7 are identified as being confidential in nature and are therefore requested to be redacted prior to publication of this submission.

It is noted that the plan provides a relatively high-level description of activities and programs delivered through the Future Drought Fund which provides $100 million each year for drought resilience initiatives and investments. As the new framework will ultimately guide future financial support for drought-impacted communities, the following feedback is provided to assist in Plan development and delivery.

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