When I saw the press alert yesterday morning that Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins would be in South Australia to talk about drought support I felt a glimmer of hope.
That feeling didn’t last long.
Like many in agriculture, I was ready to hear about real support for farmers who are staring down another brutal season. Instead, we got a rehash of cyclical drought resilience funding, dressed up as something new.
The Minister’s release trumpets “$36 million in new support”—but the only thing new here is the media opportunity.
And honestly? That’s worse than saying nothing.
This funding, which comes into affect on July 1, is the next four-year funding cycle of the Future Drought Fund and is focused on rural community resilience and preparedness for climate change - it operates no matter the current seasonal conditions.
Right now, people are doing it really tough. Some farms are already destocked. Some families are watching multi-generational businesses slip through their fingers. Mental health is deteriorating. People are dying. I speak regularly to agents, farmers and agribusinesses who are beyond burnt out—and the hurt is palpable.
And then we get a press release calling this “practical, real support”.
I'm sorry, but funding for leadership workshops and social cohesion programs is not what people need when they're watching their stock walk off into a dust storm. That kind of support absolutely has its place—but it’s not the lifeline that is needed right now.
This is where we come to that word: resilience. I’ve written before about trying to come to terms with it. About how we’re asked to see it as a positive. As strength. But more and more, it just feels like code for “you’re on your own”. A word governments use when they want to look like they’re helping, without having to actually do the hard yards of targeted, responsive support.
The truth is, farmers are resilient. In fact, they’re some of the most resilient business operators in the country. But even the most resilient among us need help in a crisis.
Let’s put this in perspective. Before Cyclone Alfred even made landfall, the government had announced an $80 million recovery package. Turns out, Alfred fizzled into a rain event. I'm certainly not saying that support wasn't warranted.
But we need to ask why is government so resistant to offering meaningful drought support when it's warranted? And we need to ask what support will actually move the dial and make a difference now?
Because the clock is ticking. This drought isn’t a future hypothetical. It’s here. It’s deepening. And it won’t be over next week. Farmers need clarity, not confusion. They need access to feed, finance, and mental health services—not just “resilience hubs” and community leadership programs in two years’ time.
When I questioned the Minister’s media team they insisted this was new funding. But if funding has been publicly documented for months, clearly itemised in a federal investment strategy and baked into the budget, then calling it new in response to a worsening drought feels more like spin than substance. You can make your own call on that one.
What I know for sure is this: not a single farmer in South Australia—or anywhere else in the country—went to bed last night feeling even slightly more secure about the months ahead. There was no sigh of relief. No tangible support to latch onto. Just the same promises, repackaged in a press release, while the dust keeps blowing.
If the government truly believes in the future of Australian agriculture, then it needs to do better than this.