Bills

Drought Response and Recovery Coordinator Bill

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (16:35): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to provide for the declaration of a drought emergency in the state or in parts of the state, to ensure a timely and effective response to drought conditions in the state, to establish a drought response and recovery coordinator, to provide for the development and implementation of drought response and recovery plans, to provide appropriate oversight and reporting mechanisms, and for other purposes. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (16:36): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Drought Response and Recovery Coordinator Bill 2025 is a bill born of a difficult but essential truth: South Australia can no longer afford to treat drought as an occasional inconvenience. It is a fundamental challenge to our state and it demands a structured, strategic and unified response. This is not just another dry season. It is a slow-moving crisis that is reshaping the social and economic fabric of our regions.

From the Mid North to the Mallee, from Eyre Peninsula to the South-East, the message is heartbreakingly consistent. I have stood on properties where families have been carting water for months to sustain stock and basic household needs, I have spoken with producers who have been forced to part with generations of carefully bred livestock because the feed has run out and the paddocks have turned to dust.

I have met farmers who have had to walk away from entire cropping programs, not because they wanted to but because there was simply no viable path forward. I have read heartbreaking letters from students in regional communities who have written to our leaders asking that they visit them to understand what drought means to them, their families and their communities.

These are not isolated anecdotes. They are evidence of communities in crisis, communities doing everything they can in their power to remain productive, to remain hopeful and to hold on. This bill recognises that in the face of such adversity we need more than fragmented programs and reactive support. We need a framework that is proactive, coordinated and equipped to respond at scale.

If the government of the day does not believe that the Emergency Management Act 2004 already provides that pathway—although we would argue that drought by any measure meets the definition of an emergency under that act, in that it threatens our communities, our economies and our environment—then this is the piece of legislation that clearly provides that pathway.

This bill before us seeks to give practical expression to that reality through four key reforms. Firstly, it allows for a formal declaration of a drought emergency, unlocking the tools, the coordination mechanisms and the institutional weight that only such a declaration can provide. Secondly, it establishes a drought response and recovery coordinator, a dedicated leader to bring government agencies, industry bodies and communities together, ensuring that support is not only well designed but well delivered.

Thirdly, the bill creates a state drought response and recovery fund. This will allow for rapid deployment of practical support: freight subsidies, concessional loans, mental health services and fee relief directly delivered where they are needed most. Importantly, every dollar will go towards relief, not bureaucracy.

I am fully aware that we in this place cannot initiate or amend money clauses, but without this fund this bill means nothing. That is why I urge the government to work with us in the spirit of cooperation. Let's be bipartisan. Let's be multipartisan. Let's put politics aside and deliver meaningful support to those who need it most.

This bill proposes the creation of a state drought response and recovery fund, an essential mechanism that would allow for the rapid deployment of practical, targeted assistance and ensure that it is delivered directly to where it is needed most. I would absolutely welcome the government taking carriage of this bill into the other place, provided that the integrity and intent of the fund are preserved, because this is not about who gets the credit. It is about getting help to South Australian farmers before it is too late.

Finally, this bill mandates transparency and accountability. Plans will be published, reports will be tabled, communities will be consulted and heard. This bill is about better systems. It is not about headlines. It is all about outcomes and, above that, it is about recognising that our regions deserve not just empathy but action.

We know other states have implemented robust models. Queensland's QRIDA program and the New South Wales Rural Assistance Authority both provide structured, consistent support in times of drought, and we can, and we must, do the same in South Australia. I acknowledge that the government have released their package, but what we have heard from the ground is that in too many cases the eligibility criteria are too narrow, the processes too complex and the delivery too slow. Support that is well intentioned must also be well targeted and readily accessible.

This is not about political pointscoring. This is about ensuring our farmers and our regional communities are not left to shoulder this burden alone. They are not asking for a handout. They are asking for fair, timely and practical support to help them weather this storm and to rebuild. This bill does not claim to solve every challenge, but it sets the foundation for a response that is coordinated, credible and, most importantly, compassionate. In doing so it sends a clear signal to those doing it toughest: we see you, we hear you, we stand with you and we are prepared to act.

Rather than avoiding action because it is not accommodated within current processes, we should be changing the processes to enable the required action to take place so that we can save our farmers and our farming communities. So let us rise above politics today and do what is right by the people who put food on our tables and life into our economy. The drought is not waiting and nor should we.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.