Appeal to help state’s farmers

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has launched a fundraising campaign for Queensland farmers who are in the grips of a crippling drought, with some local councils not experiencing rain in a number of years.

Palaszczuk kicked off the Queensland Drought Appeal by donating A$100,000 ($111,025) on behalf of all Queenslanders.

With almost 90 per cent of the state in drought last year, Palaszczuk said it was important to support the appeal because she did not want to see Queensland farmers miss out on funding on the back of a wave of public awareness.

“We’ve been experiencing drought now for a number of years and we have put in place A$670 million over those five years. We haven’t forgotten our farmers, we have been making sure they are getting the assistance they need,” she said.

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said she supported the appeal. “It is important that we stand beside our ag producers and our farmers. This is something that the LNP have been calling on,” she said.

“There are parts of Queensland that have been in drought for nearly seven years. It is vitally important that we stand beside our farmers and we support them.”

The Bureau of Meteorology, meanwhile, has warned that conditions are set to get worse before they improve. Bureau state manager Bruce Gunn said there was an increased chance of belowaverage rainfall in the coming months.The chances for an El Nino weather pattern, “the phenomena that causes the east coast of Australia to undergo hotter and drier weather conditions”, had increased, he said.