Droughts are part of Australia's landscape and managing drought is a feature of Australian agriculture. Australian farming businesses and farming communities are adopting increasingly sophisticated and effective strategies to deal with drought and respond to climate change and variability.
This agreement continues to build on drought policy reform including moving away from Exceptional Circumstances arrangements and associated lines on maps to qualify for drought support.
It prioritises objectives and outcomes that enhance long-term preparedness, sustainability, resilience and risk management for farming businesses and farming communities in Australia.
It describes the way Commonwealth, state and territory governments will cooperate and collaborate on drought-related issues and outlines responsibilities when supporting farming businesses, farming families and farming communities.
The agreement provides a framework to enable consistency of drought policy and reform objectives and complementarity of drought preparedness, response and recovery programs.
This agreement also complements other measures taken by jurisdictions to promote adaptation to climate change.