1

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018-191, p.177:

• The Government will establish the Future Drought Fund to fund initiatives that enhance drought resilience, preparedness and response across Australia.
• The balance of $3.9 billion in uncommitted funds from the Building Australia Fund will be transferred to the Fund on establishment and will be invested by the Future Fund Board of Guardians. The invested funds are expected to grow to $5 billion over the next 10 years.

Auditor-General Report No.50 of 2004-05 Drought Assistance (tabled June 2005)

Auditor-General Report No.53 of 2010–11 Drought Assistance (tabled June 2011)

2

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

Making available $1.0 billion over four years from 2018–19 to allow the loans issued by the Regional Investment Corporation to be increased, thereby making more low cost capital available for farmers to help them manage through, and recover from, drought. This includes increasing the maximum loan size, available for both farm investment and drought loans, from $1.0 million to $2.0 million, and increasing total funding available for loans from $250.0 million to $500.0 million per annum.

Auditor-General Report No.28 of 2015–16 Administration of Concessional Loans Programs (tabled April 2016)

Design and establishment of the Regional Investment Corporation (due to table April 2020)

Treasury’s management of the balance sheet — concessional loans (potential audit)

3

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.206:

The Government will provide an additional $750.0 million over six years from 2019–20 for the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund including:

• $710.0 million to construct water infrastructure in partnership with states and territories and private investors;
• $30.0 million for project design and planning approvals;
• $6.5 million for Geoscience Australia to carry out a strategic water balance project in the Great Artesian Basin; and
• $3.5 million for a detailed water resource assessment of river catchments in Northern Australia.

Auditor-General Report No.30 of 2017–18 Design and Governance of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund (tabled February 2018)

Procurement of strategic water entitlements (due to table December 2019)

4

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.150:

$196.3 million over four years from 2018–19 for changes to the Farm Household Allowance (FHA), to immediately assist farmers who are suffering ongoing hardship to access income support by increasing the number of farmers eligible for payments and increasing the level of support available

Bilateral agreement arrangements between Services Australia and other entities (due to table March 2020)

5

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

• $82.4 million over two years from 2018–19 to provide funding for local infrastructure and drought–relief projects in 81 drought-affected council areas;
• $33.6 million to provide financial assistance of up to $3,000 per household for approximately 10,000 farming households and workers as a new stream of the Drought Communities Programme.

6

2019–20 Budget Paper No 22, p.73:

The Government will provide $28.0 million over four years from 2019–20 for the installation of Bureau of Meteorology radars and rain gauges ($77.2 million over the life of the installations to 30 June 2042) to address gaps in weather monitoring infrastructure in Queensland.

Auditor-General Report No.39 of 2018–19 The Bureau of Meteorology’s Delivery of Extreme Weather Services (tabled May 2019)

7

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

$75.0 million over three years from 2019–20 to accelerate fodder storage assets depreciation over one year rather than three, to encourage the storage of fodder in good growing seasons when it is less expensive, for use in periods of drought when on-ground feed is more limited. This measure applies on an ongoing basis from 19 August 2018.

Auditor-General Report No.51 of 2018–19 Farm Management Deposits Scheme (tabled June 2019)

8

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.152:

$50.0 million over three years from 2018–19 for state and territory governments to install on-farm water-related infrastructure in drought-affected areas for stock watering purposes;

9

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

The Government is providing $26.9 million for the creation and expansion of the Empowering Our Community and Connecting Youth Awareness-Raising Initiatives and the expansion of Medicare Benefits Schedule telehealth services in drought affected rural and regional areas, to improve access to mental health support services.

10

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.152:

$23.7 million over three years from 2019–20 for the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) state and territory governments to implement a range of immediate and long-term measures to enhance water security for GAB water users.

11

2019–20 Budget Paper No 2, p.124:

$15.0 million in 2019–20 for the Drought Communities Programme to deliver local infrastructure and drought-relief projects in a further 15 drought-affected councils across Australia

12

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.152:

$15.0 million in 2018–19 to manage pests and weeds that can undermine drought management and recovery efforts.

13

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.152:

$15.0 million over three years from 2018–19 for the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal to deliver small- scale grants to improve social connectedness and stimulate the economy in drought-affected regional communities

14

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.152:

This package includes $5.6 million over two years from 2018–19 (including $0.3 million in capital funding) to establish a Joint Agency Drought Taskforce, led by the Coordinator General for Drought.

15

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

$5.0 million in 2018–19 for the Rural Financial Counselling Service to improve support to farmers, particularly to assist them make their Farm Household Allowance applications.

16

2019–20 Budget Paper, No 2, p.124:

$5.0 million in 2018–19 for the Country Women’s Association of Australia to provide assistance to drought- affected communities.

17

2019–20 Budget Paper, No 2, p.48:

The Government will provide $4.2 million over four years from 2019–20 (and $0.5 million per year ongoing) to improve and maintain the National Drought Map.

18

2019–20 Budget Paper No 2, p.46:

The Government will provide $3.1 million over two years from 2018–19 to exempt net income generated from the forced sale of livestock from Farm Household Allowance (FHA) payment assessment, when that income is invested into a Farm Management Deposit.

19

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

$2.7 million over two years from 2018–19 for the Bureau of Meteorology to create localised weather intelligence guides to enable farmers to improve their ability to make quantitative business risk management decisions.

Auditor-General Report No.39 of 2018–19 The Bureau of Meteorology’s Delivery of Extreme Weather Services (tabled May 2019)

20

2019–20 Budget Paper, No 2, p.106

The Government will provide $5.5 million over four years from 2018–19 for additional mental health services and support for communities impacted by natural disasters in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

21

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2018–19, p.151:

$0.4 million over three years from 2018–19 for a Farm Hub hosted on the National Farmers Federation website to provide a coordinated and comprehensive online information source of the support available to farmers.