Future Drought Fund First Nations Consultation

The Future Drought Fund (FDF) was established to provide secure, continuous funding for investments that support Australian farmers and regional communities to prepare for, and become more resilient to, the impacts of future droughts. Under the FDF, funding and investment priorities are reviewed every 4 years. A new 4-year funding cycle will commence in 2024, with new programs from 1 July 2024.

In preparation for the next 4-year funding cycle, the Australian Government is seeking your feedback on a draft Drought Resilience Funding Plan (Funding Plan), and draft Future Drought Fund Investment Strategy 2024 to 2028 (Investment Strategy). These documents were informed by stakeholder feedback to date as well as the recent Productivity Commission’s Inquiry Report into the effectiveness of the FDF.

This meeting will specifically focus on opportunities to better target and tailor FDF initiatives to First Nations Australians. The meeting will be held online, from 2pm to 3:30pm on Monday 27 November 2023. A meeting link will be emailed to those who register.

This meeting will be an opportunity to have your say on the Funding Plan and the Investment Strategy and share your ideas on what the FDF should focus on over the next 4 years. Your feedback will shape the future direction of the FDF to ensure First Nations Australians can access the necessary information, skills, and networks to manage drought and climate risks.

Before the meeting, we suggest you:

• read the draft Funding Plan

• read the consultation draft Investment Strategy

Should the meeting date/time not suit, or if you would rather attend an in-person meeting, links to the FDF’s other consultation meetings can be found on the department’s website.

You may also submit your feedback via a short survey or upload a submission on the department’s website.