DESPITE some recent rain events, the drought here in South Australia is far from over. This has been one of the most devastating droughts on record. The anxiety etched on the faces of our farmers tells the real story – one of financial strain, physical and emotional exhaustion, and a relentless fight to keep going.
Drought is not just a weather event, it is a human crisis. It doesn’t only drain the land of moisture - it drains families of security, communities of confidence, and entire industries of stability. It hits the small towns where local shops, schools, and sporting clubs depend on the prosperity of surrounding farms. It affects the truck drivers, the shearers, the agronomists, and the countless small businesses that make up the regional supply chain. And ultimately, it affects every South Australian - because when farmers struggle, food prices rise, jobs are lost, and the state’s economy suffers.
Our primary producers are the backbone of South Australia. They are the ones who put food on our tables, the clothes on our backs, and export dollars into our economy. They rise before dawn, work in searing heat and driving rain, and take business and financial risks most city dwellers can barely imagine - all to ensure that our state and our nation can eat and thrive. They do it without fuss, without complaint, and far too often, without the recognition they deserve. They embody hard work.
After several years of poor market conditions, it’s not just farmers who are facing tough conditions. South Australia’s wine grape growers are under immense strain, with low prices, oversupply, and shrinking export opportunities eroding their viability. On top of this, drought adds yet another heavy blow - stressing vines, slashing yields, and forcing heartbreaking decisions about whether to irrigate, cut back production, or pull out plantings vineyards altogether. For many, it feels like wave after wave of challenges with little reprieve, and the risk is that years of skill, investment, and regional heritage could be lost. Drought in this context is not just another hurdle - it’s a compounding pressure that threatens the very survival of an industry central to our state’s economy and identity.
For months, as an Opposition and as a united regional community, we have been calling for targeted, practical, on-the-ground drought relief. We have asked for measures that would make an immediate difference to struggling farmers and small businesses - initiatives like water for fodder programs, rebates on Emergency Services Levies and other government charges, freight rebates, and no-and-low-interest concessional loans to keep families afloat. We have urged the Government to engage directly with local councils, industry groups, and community leaders on the ground, to tailor assistance packages that meet the real needs rather than ticking boxes on forms in an office in Adelaide.
We have also called for the Government to support our Drought Response and Recovery Bill - a structured framework for response, and recovery, requiring Government to declare a drought, and act on expert advice, cut through red tape, and deliver on-the-ground assistance that reflects the real needs of affected areas. The Bill also creates a Drought Fund, legally protected from being spent on administration, ensuring every dollar goes directly to practical drought support like freight subsidies, no-and-low-interest concessional loans and other recovery initiatives for farmers and regional communities. That’s because we understand that the future of our food and fibre production is worth investing in during hard times. This is not a radical idea; it is common sense.
And yet, time and again, these calls have gone unanswered. I have spoken to countless farmers who have applied for assistance, only to be told they did not qualify because they failed to meet a technical or bureaucratic definition of “affected.” This is about people’s lives, their homes, and the security of our state’s food supply. When a government does not listen, does not adapt, and does not deliver practical support where it is most needed, it risks sending the wrong message to the very people who feed and clothe us all. Already, farmers are being forced into heartbreaking decisions – destocking herds rich in the genetics bred over generations, bulldozing blocks their families planted, and selling vital equipment they can no longer afford to keep. Once those assets are gone, they cannot be easily replaced. Recovery will take years, and every day of delay increases the risk of permanent loss.
I want to say directly to our farmers, growers, fishers, and regional businesses: we see you, we hear you, and we will keep fighting for you. We will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, not just in the good seasons, but in the hardest of times.
Your work underpins the economy and very social fabric of South Australia. Without you, our supermarket shelves would be bare, our export income would collapse, and our rural towns would fade into history. You are more than just an industry - you are a way of life worth defending.
South Australia’s strength has always come from its people - and in particular, from the determination of those in the regions. In times of crisis, we do not turn our backs on each other; we stand together. That is the kind of leadership the bush needs now. That is the kind of leadership I will continue to fight for.
Our farmers deserve a government that values their contribution, understands their challenges, and acts decisively to support them in their time of need. Anything less is not just a failure of policy - it is a failure of basic decency.
