Memories of drought are unsettling. Devastatingly unsettling.
The decade spanning 2000-2010 was the last straw for so many Australian families and communities who were forced to close the door on their torrid love affair with the land. The relentless and monotonous dry months took their toll on those nearest and dearest to me and across the country.
Tonight, in 2014, on the other side of the world, my heart goes out to those at home who are once again in such a desperate situation. I see Twitter posts of rain and hope that it doesn’t stop anytime soon.
Thankfully, details of drought relief packages are being released. Barnaby Joyce, Australian Agriculture Minister, is apparently putting ‘the finishing touches on a drought support package’ (ABC, 2014) as I write this. The National Farmer’s Federation Drought Relief Package package includes improving access to income support, low interest loans, water infrastructure grants, farm-labour wage assistance and farm advisory grants. I urge anyone interested to read their packages of immediate drought relief measures. ‘Farmer’s across the country need support now’, Brent Finlay, NFF President stated. Support in the form of drought assistance loans is needed right now to get through this acutely tough time that is destroying whole communities.
However, the word ‘support’ and ‘relief’ conjure up short-term fixes, a ‘leg-up’, a prop, a brace.
In the longer-term, we need to start thinking about structured drought policy. Creation and implementation of such a policy, however, is not going to be an easy road. Although drought has been a significant and recurring part of our nation’s history, our climate is changing, and with it, increased severity and frequency of such disasters. We have to start thinking about drought policy in this context.
This, however, is difficult when our own Prime Minister states offhandedly that ‘there have always been tough times and lush times’ and continues to dismiss the link between drought and climate change. Relief packages are required when these ‘bad times’ (Abbott, really?) hit, no doubt, but there has to be comprehensive thinking and work done that is conscious of longer-term climatic challenges. But with a Prime Minister that doesn’t see the threats that come with changing mean variable temperatures, I can see that investment into future agricultural and drought policy will be limited. Tony, how do you think your grand plan for a Northern Australian ‘food bowl’ will succeed without taking into account the likelihood of drought occurring more severely and frequently in the coming century?
Brent Finlay (NFF, 2014) also advocates for long term drought policy solutions, however notes the problems inherent in timing. He notes, ‘when there’s not a drought on, it’s difficult for preparedness to remain a top priority for Government, as we have seen in recent years’. While current needs of farmers and communities are being addressed by relief packages, going forward we need to focus on significant inquiry, even if the drought ‘breaks’. I do not say this to detract from the priority of helping those in need now, particularly those that had not seen rain for two years until today. However, as noted by West Australian Nationals leader Terry Redman “The significant shift is moving from crisis management to risk management and that’s the policy setting shift.” I really hope it does.
What should be included in a longer-term strategy for drought management? Investment in water infrastructure? Input subsidies? Adaptation measures? According to the OECD’s Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2013, Australian farmer’s continue to have some of the lowest producer support mechanisms in place. Although this is troubling, pure support in the fashion akin to other countries is not necessarily the solution. Distortionary input subsidies may certainly not be the answer, but we need to at least start to begin to analyse potential policy mechanisms.
A comprehensive review in 2008 was performed that looked at the future of Australia’s climate and the types of drought measures in place. However, the response from government was inconsequential and nothing widespread was been put in place.
Planning for drought cannot be left to times of extreme drought.