The biggest reform to Queensland’s drought assistance in generations will help Queensland primary producers improve their management of future droughts.
New drought assistance programs will focus on greater preparedness and business resilience for a broader range of eligible Queensland primary producers. This means the new drought assistance will include eligible primary producers across all industries, not just grazing.
Under the new drought assistance guidelines, producers will no longer need a drought declaration to access drought preparedness assistance, which will be available anytime. To access the new drought assistance, producers will need to have a Farm Business Resilience Plan or equivalent that identifies activities to improve resilience when applying for the drought preparedness grants or loans.
Producers can attend a Farm Business Resilience Program workshop or training run by industry organisations or the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) to help develop and implement a plan, write a plan themselves, or engage professional assistance. While this drought continues the Queensland Government will still support producers through the current Drought Relief Assistance Scheme (DRAS). Drought-declared producers can choose to continue accessing DRAS support or transition to the new measures. Once they access the new measures, they cannot go back to DRAS which will be phased out as drought declarations come to an end.
All grants and loans will be administered by the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA). For more information about the new drought assistance, including templates, checklists and tutorial videos visit daf.qld.gov.au/drought