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Following last week’s announcement of the Federal Government’s record commitment of over $500 million to the Future Drought Fund, the Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience, Adoption and Innovation Hub (TNQ Drought Hub) has secured a share of $132 million over eight years to support activities to address the challenges of drought and climate variability in North Queensland.
Led by James Cook University, the TNQ Drought Hub is one of eight national hubs tasked with implementing and supporting practices for drought preparedness. Since its establishment in 2022, the Hub has been collaborating with farmers, researchers and industry to spearhead drought-resilience initiatives across North Queensland.
Hub Director Professor David Phelps said the funding will enable them to continue a range of programs designed to bolster and support drought preparedness for North Queensland’s agricultural communities.
“This funding extension is pivotal for our region,” said Professor Phelps.
“It ensures the continuation of key TNQ Drought Hub and partner initiatives, including governance, leadership and succession workshops to prepare the next generation, advanced ESG research for practical on-farm adoption, and scholarship programs for honours and PhD students to propel forward their innovative research in finding solutions for our communities.”
Professor Phelps noted that the commitment to long-term funding, as opposed to sporadic short-term allocations, will enable the Hub to implement longer-lasting projects.
“We know that farms and producers in North Queensland experience different challenges to our southern counterparts,” said Professor Phelps.
“With this secure, long-term funding, it will allow us to have an eight-year focus. We can now ensure our projects and activities will have more meaning and impact on our region. We will also be able to seek out additional opportunities to collaborate closely with more communities and industry partners to address regional priorities and opportunities for future sustainable solutions.
“We’ve had terrific success over the last three years and are looking forward to continuing to help our primary producers and their communities prepare for the impacts of drought and work with the other Hubs nationally to ensure there is collaboration across the country.”
