While the additional drought support announced by the Victorian Labor State Government last month is a welcome—if overdue—acknowledgment that our farmers are in crisis, it falls well short of meeting the reality on the ground. Regional communities are facing a slow-moving disaster.
Paddocks are bare, dams are dry and the financial pressure is mounting by the day. These are not just tough conditions—they are make-or-break moments for many farming families.
Immediate assistance—specifically in the form of interest-free or low-interest loans and State Government sponsored rate relief—is essential.
Grants may provide short-term relief but they’re like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone. Only tailored drought loans and sponsored rate relief can deliver the long-term stability our farmers need. Without this financial support, many farmers will be forced to make the agonising decision to sell their high-quality breeding stock because they can no longer afford to feed or, in some cases, water them.
This wouldn’t just be a short-term setback. Losing high-quality breeding stock—that represent years of investment, genetic selection and planning for the future—would inflict lasting damage on Victoria’s agricultural sector. Once they’re gone, recovery is not a matter of months, it’s a matter of years. The flow-on effects will be felt across supply chains, through local economies and in the mental health and wellbeing of farming families already at breaking point.
Offering immediate interest-free loans and rate relief on the other hand, would allow farmers to refinance, maintain their herds and hold on until conditions improve in the Spring. These are simple and proven forms of support that keeps farms viable and communities intact.
If the government fails to provide this urgent assistance, it will be complicit in the irreversible loss of livestock, livelihoods and the fabric of rural life. Drought isn’t new, but the scale of its impact—and the expectations on government—have changed.
In addition to the drought crisis, farmers continue to be alarmed about the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy as the Allan Labor State Government’s decision to pause the planned increase for one year is a temporary political fix only, not a lasting solution.
A pause doesn’t remove the burden—it simply prolongs the uncertainty.
Farmers can’t afford this unfair hike—this year, next year, or any year. Regional communities rely heavily on volunteer emergency services, and farmers are often the ones wearing multiple hats—as land managers, first responders and community leaders. Penalising them with higher levies, at any time, is deeply out of touch with the reality of life on the land.
I will continue working with state politicians, local councils and regional communities to fight for the permanent removal of this levy increase. Our farmers deserve more than lip service. They deserve respect and action.
ENDS
Contact: Sandie Gustus M | 0408 564 232 E | sandie.gustus@aph.gov.au
Published in the Ararat Advocate
