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National Drought & North Queensland
Flood Response & Recovery Agency

The National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on 5 December 2019 to lead a national response to the drought affecting large parts of the country and to continue supporting North Queensland communities affected by wide-spread flooding in early 2019.

The Agency is led by the Hon Shane L Stone AC QC, Coordinator-General and Chairman of the Advisory Board. It was previously known as the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency (NQLIRA).

Working collaboratively with communities, all levels of government, the National Farmers’ Federation and related agricultural organisations, the Agency represents the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting communities who are living through the immediate and longer-term effects of drought and flood, ensuring they’re given the right level and type of support and advice at the right time, and are able to better prepare for and withstand future droughts and floods.

Its guiding principle is “Locally led, locally understood and locally implemented” and the Agency will bring together all levels of government, non-government and key industry representatives to work with and support people who are touched by flood and drought.

Agency visits Queensland and NSW drought zones to learn about community impacts

Coordinator-General Shane Stone, Advisory Board member Don Heatley OAM with agency staff

Coordinator-General Shane Stone, Advisory Board member Don Heatley OAM and Agency staff were back on the road last week. The team headed into southern Queensland and far western, western and northern NSW drought zones, where rainfall has been well below average for many years.

As the team travelled through Goondiwindi, Moree, Bourke, Walgett, Coonamble, Bingara, Inverell, Narrabri, Tenterfield, Stanthorpe and Esk, they heard from local communities about the impact of drought on their daily lives and many views on how all levels of government can work together to best support people in regional and rural Australia. The countryside is certainly very dry and in desperate need of meaningful rain. While families and communities are bearing up, their resilience is being tested. Read more...