"We want to see actions": Premier urged to deliver real drought response results by taskforce

Corangamite Shire Council mayor Kate Makin says Friday’s first Drought Response Taskforce meeting in Camperdown provided stakeholders with an opportunity to “impress” on Premier Jacinta Allan that action, not promises, were the key to adequate drought relief outcomes for western Victoria.

Mayor Makin, who also serves as a chair for Rural Councils Victoria, told the Brolga the first task force meeting at Camperdown’s Killara Centre saw a “robust discussion around the table” from its 12 participants.

“It was a good discussion, it was good to hear from other people's perspectives as to what they're facing with the drought,” she said.

“It was also great to have that opportunity to put forward from Rural Councils Victoria to understand what their challenges are, but also for the Premier to understand what the challenges are for the farmers and the broader community right here in southwest Victoria, where it's the hardest hit at the moment.”

The mayor was unable to reveal specific actions that were raised at Friday’s meeting, but emphasised the group’s no-nonsense stance on ensuring the delivery of real results from the state government.

“We impressed on the Premier quite heavily that she needs to make announcements sooner rather than later, and we want to see actions out of this task force, and not just to be a talk fest, I suppose you could say,” Makin said.

“I think lots of the ideas and information that was put forward on Friday were quite helpful to the Premier in informing her decisions.”

Makin said she was confident the ideas that were raised in the meeting would bring effective drought solutions to the region.

“We need the support to be far and wide, but we also need the support to be short, mid, and long-term solutions,” she said.

The task force is set to meet once a week for the month of June, but details on where weekly meetings will be held is still unknown.

Makin said that while the weekend’s rain was “fantastic”, long-term plans needed to be put in place to ensure “farmers have the support they require going forward”.

Image: Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Agriculture Minister Ros Spence at Friday’s post-meeting press conference in Camperdown.