Cash splash for drought comms staff

The state government will spend up to $320,000 on drought communications staff while farmers battle severe conditions and other departments face cuts.

The Victorian government is preparing to splash up to $320,000 on two drought-related communications staff more than 18 months after severe dry weather first hit the state.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action are seeking to hire a drought communications and media manager plus a drought senior communications and media adviser to “ensure the delivery of communications around the $144m drought support package”.

The drought communications and media manager could make $138,631 to $185,518 while the senior communications and media adviser could make $113,022 to $136,747.

Both of the roles are only offered on a fixed term position available until June 30, 2026.

The Weekly Times asked five specific questions of DEECA:

WHY have these positions been created now, almost two years after drought conditions first started to affect Victoria?

WHY are these roles fixed until June 2026?

WHAT if drought conditions persist into next year?

ARE these new roles accounted for as part of the broader DEECA budget or part of the $144m drought support package?

HOW will these new roles help farmers who have been affected by drought conditions for almost two years?

In response a DEECA spokesperson said: “Agriculture Victoria has been working with drought affected farmers since late 2024 in response to deteriorating seasonal conditions and continues to support farmers as part of the Government’s $144 million Drought Support Package.”

“A variety of positions have been in place for the past two years as part of ongoing support for farmers and rural communities managing drought.”

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said additional drought communication was “critically important” but needed to extend beyond the end of this financial year. 

“Even if it starts raining right now and through spring and we get a strong finish to the season, the drought is certainly not over and it won’t be for those people who have felt it and have to rebuild farms and finances,” he said. 

In July the state government lifted its drought support package to $144m with farmers across 12 of Victoria’s worst drought-affected shires given a rebate of about 40 per cent.

The rate rebate was aimed at boosting farmers’ cash flow across the shires of Glenelg, Southern Grampians, Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite, Colac Otway, Surf Coast, West Wimmera, Ararat, Pyrenees and Golden Plains.

The two additional communications roles come amid a broader range of cuts to DEECA including in November last year the government notified Parks Victoria it would have to shed 100 jobs, but then deferred the decision subject to a major review that has never been released.

Last month Agriculture Victoria’s Plant Production Sciences branch was to be “dissolved” and 11 scientists made redundant plus a further 31 staff engaged in pest and weed control.