- Applications have opened for drought-focused leadership development in the Parkes electorate
- The program is developing a national cohort of leaders to drive action to better prepare for drought in their community
Applications have opened for a Future Drought Fund program to develop leaders and drive conversations and action on drought preparedness in the North West Slopes and Plains and Western NSW.
Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud said the Drought Resilient Leaders program is a partnership between the Federal Government and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Limited (ARLF).
“We know that farmers listen to farmers, and others in their community. That’s why we are investing in developing a new generation of community leaders to drive conversations and action to better prepare for inevitable drought,” Minister Littleproud said.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said agriculture in the Parkes electorate will benefit from the program’s suite of development opportunities and give the next generation of leaders in the region the skills and knowledge they need to better prepare for drought into the future.
“This partnership with the Federal Government and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation will support young people with a passion for agriculture across my electorate, to develop skills to benefit their communities in times of drought, now and in the years ahead,” Mr Coulton said.
The Drought Resilient Leaders program is open to people aged 18 years and over in seven regions around Australia, including the North West Slopes and Plains and Western NSW.
The North West Slopes and Plains includes people living in the shires of Gunnedah, Tamworth, Narrabri, Moree Plains, Liverpool Plains, Coonamble and surrounding regions to Goondiwindi, Tamworth, Warialda and Walgett.
In Western NSW, it includes the shires of Dubbo, Cobar, Bourke, Central Darling, Bogan, Lachlan and surrounding regions to Enngonia, Hillston, Orange and Broken Hill.
The ARLF will work with the selected applicants to develop their leadership capabilities, encouraging them to work together with their communities, leading to better outcomes and preparation for drought.
For more information visit https://rural-leaders.org.au/programs/drought-resilience-leaders-program/
For more information about the Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Leaders program and other FDF programs visit https://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/future-drought-fund/drought-resilience-leaders
Fast Facts:
- The Drought Resilience Leaders is a program under the $5 billion Future Drought Fund.
- The Drought Resilience Leaders program began with two pilot regions earlier this year, and aims to build leadership capabilities for farmers and regional communities.
- In parallel with leadership development courses, ARLF will be running a national mentoring program to foster informal knowledge sharing to build drought resilience of farmers.
The seven regions around Australia open for applications from October:
- Northern Wheatbelt, Western Australia
- Gascoyne Murchison, Western Australia
- Mallee, Victoria
- North West Slopes and Plains, New South Wales
- Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
- Murraylands, South Australia
- Western New South Wales