Without a sign yet that this drought is letting up, our government is stepping up.
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Our comprehensive and committed response is about addressing immediate needs for financial assistance and longer-term investments to build drought resilience for the future.
Most importantly, it's not set and forget. We are continually adding to our response.
Our latest suite of measures is ready to flow and puts money in the pockets of farmers struggling to keep their operations going.
We're also focused on those communities feeling the strain as work dries up and spending in local stores slows down.
These initiatives will deliver another $700 million worth of direct support, bringing new support announced since May to more than $1 billion.
After the National Drought Summit a year ago, the government developed a clear three-part strategy.
It's about the here-and-now, supporting jobs and investment in local communities, and finally, long-term resilience.
Our latest package sticks to this proven formula.
We're making new and existing drought loans to farmers interest-free for two years, so they can buy fodder, pay for freight and pay their farm hands.
There's a new program for agriculture-reliant small businesses, with loans of up to $500,000 that can be used to pay staff, buy equipment and refinance.
We're providing $10 million of support - including boarding fee concessions - for schools facing financial hardship as a result of ongoing drought conditions.
The impact of future droughts on our hard-working farming families and their communities will be shaped by the future of water supply and security.
That's why our water infrastructure commitments have climbed to $1.5 billion across 21 projects that are committed or underway.
We've also established the $5 billion Future Drought Fund to provide a secure and continuous revenue stream to support initiatives that enhance the drought resilience of Australian farms and communities.
There is no silver bullet to this drought.
But our government is constantly on the ground and ramping up our response as we listen to, and learn from, our stoic farmers and rural and regional communities.
- Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison