ATSE’s submission to the Australian Government Drought Plan makes four recommendations to help support the agricultural sector and local communities. The submission argues that the best drought strategy is to prepare for and mitigate drought risks before droughts hit. ATSE argues that government support should be focused on drought mitigation and preparation and planning is in place for other natural disasters.
Droughts can have deep and long-lasting impacts on the environment, communities and agricultural industries. The Millennium Drought in the early 2000s affected the vast majority of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and cut farm incomes by 51%, cut employment in the grain, beef and cattle industries by a third, and devastated regional communities (Lu and Hedley 2004). Droughts are becoming longer, more severe, and more frequent as the climate changes, and their onset can be more unpredictable (Falster et al. 2024). Preparing for drought is therefore vital not only to our agricultural sector but also to the survival of regional communities.
The Academy recommends that the key focus of the proposed Australian Government Drought Plan be on prevention and preparation, with some planning for drought response also included. ATSE commends government support in response to droughts that focuses on supporting resilience and recovery for all members of affected communities (not just agricultural business). Enabling and supporting farmers to prepare for inevitable drought conditions can help mitigate the impact of droughts and reduce the need for crisis support when droughts inevitably hit. This would ideally be supported by centrally monitoring water networks using satellite technology to better understand and manage our water systems. Improved drought prediction reliability, and investment into data collection, monitoring and analysis – and effective, timely communication of findings - will provide communities with the information they need to prepare, survive and thrive through tough and variable conditions. Investing in a pipeline of research and development of new technologies to prepare for and mitigate drought impacts will also be essential to ensuring the long-term prosperity of Australia’s regional communities and agricultural sector.
Recommendation 1: Support farmers to identify and adopt the most effective drought mitigation and preparation technologies and alternative revenue streams.
Recommendation 2: Develop a National Flood Plan, aligned with the Australia Government Drought Plan, to develop strategies to mitigate the impacts of flooding.
Recommendation 3: Implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Australian Climate Service by establishing a one-stop-shop for climate and water data to support effective decision making.
Recommendation 4: Invest in agricultural research and development, and incentivise greater research and development investment from businesses in agricultural technologies and innovations
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