Australia faces worst drought in decades
By Aaron Cordy
AUSTRALIA is a sunburnt country with extreme weather conditions that can yield heavy rains and then deprive us of even a skerrick of water for months, even years.
Despite having well above rainfall in 2022 that led to the October floods, much of Australia is now facing drought conditions, which has the potential to be worse than the Millennium Drought that severely impacted the Murray-Darling Basin and southern cropping zones between 1997 and 2009.
2018 and 2019 were some of the worst years for rainfall across Australia since 2002, then Northern Victoria and Southern NSW had two average years of rainfall, followed by the 2022 floods. 2023 produced average rainfall in the region, while further north it was far below average. 2024 saw rainfalls dip again, and in 2025 we are in the middle of one of the driest autumns in years, which is expected to continue through winter.
Northern Victoria’s major water storages have kept the region afloat through the dry spell, delivering more than a million megalitres of water to irrigators in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District during the 2024/25 irrigation season. Lake Eildon has received less than half the inflows it usually would have at this stage in the year.
In SA, NSW and Southwest Victoria, drought conditions have intensified, which is seeing a higher rate of livestock being sold off to combat the lack of food that has been heavily affected by the drought.
The South Australian Government is delivering a $73M drought package, and the Victorian Government has ordered 50GL of fresh water from the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant for the first time since March 2022 to be delivered in 2025/26.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is urging politicians to keep a focus on drought conditions being felt across many areas of the country.
David Jochinke said it is imperative the Government understands the reality facing many producers.
“Producers in large parts of South Australia and Victoria are entering their second year of drought, with many parts of southern New South Wales facing a very dry start for the sowing season,” said NFF President David Jochinke.
“Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It’s not just farmers who feel it, it’s entire rural and regional communities.”
