$6 MILLION FOR DROUGHT-PROOFING

Six million dollars will be invested by a re-elected Liberal-National Government into developing farming techniques which can help off-set the impact of future droughts, Nationals Senator Fiona Nash said. Senator Nash explained a re-elected Coalition will implement a $6 million Natural Sequence Farming (NSF) national demonstration and study which will allow the full benefits of NSF land stewardship techniques to be explored. “The ongoing dry certainly underlines the importance of developing land management techniques that make our land more resilient to drought conditions,” Senator Nash said. “NSF seeks to slow the rate of water flow – particularly after rain – to restore the health of floodplains and their streams. NSF techniques have been proven to be highly productive and highly drought resilient which is why it’s important we explore these techniques further to understand the impact of a broader rollout.” The $6 million in funding will be used to establish a national network of NSF demonstration sites, which will be analysed and audited by an Expert Scientific Review Panel. Funding will also go towards developing training and education programs to help land managers implement the NSF principles. Senator Nash said a Hunter Valley farmer first developed the technique on his property. “The NSF techniques were first developed by Peter Andrews whose work is now being supported by the Natural Sequence Association which is a non-profit organisation set up to assist the further research and implementation of his work,” Senator Nash said. Senator Nash said the funding commitment builds on initial support of $100,000 for a demonstration project at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms in Bungendore. “The Coalition understands the importance of working together with our landholders to develop and implement effective and long-lasting land management techniques that will continue to deliver a strong and robust rural sector well into the future.” Media contact: Julie Siegert 0429 818 600

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