Council
27 June, 2025
Local MPs call for action
TWO local parliamentarians have expressed their disappointment at the apparent “lack of action” by the state Premier following the third meeting of the Drought Taskforce.
Roma Britnell (Member for South West Coast) and Richard Riordan (Member for Polwarth) this week spoke of their “deep disappointment” following the end of the taskforce’s third meeting which, they believed, was yet to result in any real action.
“The third meeting was held in the wake of the Premier’s fly-in visit to the south west more than three weeks ago,” they said in a joint press release.
“Despite the Premier’s dramatic arrival and swift back-door exit from the first taskforce meeting, leaving local farmers and community leaders in disbelief, the three meetings have now concluded with no meaningful or tangible assistance provided to the farming communities grappling with the worst drought in recorded history.”
Mr Riordan said the Premier had visited the south west, with cameras rolling, and then vanished when it came to listening to the very people she claims to represent.
“They (the taskforce) has had three separate meetings, held in three different regions and no doubt at significant cost to taxpayers, but farmers have received no real support. This is not leadership. It’s political theatre.”
Ms Britnell believes farmers are at breaking point.
“They (farmers) didn’t need another committee or PR-driven roundtable,” she said.
“They need help; immediate, practical help whether that’s freight subsidies, access to feed, low-interest loans, or access to roadside grazing but none of it has been delivered.
“The Premier has failed to show she genuinely understands or cares about the crisis unfolding across our region.”
The MPs called on the government to stop wasting time and resources on “tokenistic processes” and instead deliver a real drought response package; one that meets the urgency of the situation and supports the economic backbone of south west Victoria.
“Our farming communities have had enough of empty promises. They’re watching livestock head to the abattoir, watching their livelihoods disappear, and watching a government that seems more interested in the optics than the outcomes,” Ms Britnell said.
“The time for talk is over. The Premier needs to stop staging meetings and start taking action. Our farmers deserve better and they deserve it now,” Mr Riordan added.
