Funding for farming communities affected by drought

The Drought Community Support Initiative provides immediate assistance to farmers, farm workers and farm suppliers/contractors who are facing hardship arising from the impact of drought in eligible Local Government Areas.

The intended outcomes of the Drought Community Support Initiative are to:

• help with immediate assistance for farmers, farm workers and farm suppliers/contractors
• improve levels of economic activity in regions and support local communities

Selected charity organisations will provide immediate financial support of up to $3000 cash to eligible recipients.

The two funded charities met the following eligibility criteria:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• were invited to apply
• are one of the following charity organisations
  • St Vincent de Paul Society
  • The Salvation Army

Other charities may be invited to apply at the discretion of the Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, natural Disaster and Emergency Management.

The eligible projects must:

• include eligible activities and eligible expenditure
• establish eligibility criteria for the provision of financial assistance to eligible recipients
• keep a record of provided assistance and submit aggregated data reports to the department
• be completed by 31 December 2020 for The Salvation Army and by 30 April 2021 for St Vincent de Paul Society

To be eligible to receive a cash payment the recipient must be:

• 18 years old or older
• a farmer, farm worker or farm supplier/contractor who:
  • lives and/or works in an eligible Local Government Area specified by the Minister responsible for Drought and listed on business.gov.au and GrantConnect
  • is in need of financial assistance to pay for food, petrol, utility bills or another need, or is at imminent risk of not being able to pay for them

The benefit may be provided to eligible recipients who have had previous financial assistance from:

• the Drought Community Support Initiative
• drought relief funding provided by the Australian Government to the Country Women’s Association of Australia 

The benefit is limited to 1 per household up to a maximum cash payment of $3000.

For more information on eligibility you should read the grant opportunity guidelines.

You can find a list of the eligible LGAs on the Drought Communities Programme - Extension (DCP) page.

The Eligible Local Government Areas were selected based on the level of need, determined using:

• rainfall deficiency data from the Bureau of Meteorology
• population and industry data (reliance on agriculture)

The Government will continue to closely monitor conditions across the country as the drought continues, and in consultation with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, may consider expanding the program to reach more Local Government Areas.