PRESIDENT'S Column

By Gary Sansom

President

07 Jan 2010 Lessons from a Dry Decade

Perhaps it is only fitting that the driest decade for much of eastern Australia has ended with a 10-day deluge.
It’s also worth noting that these rains came from one of the longest “rain events” in recent memory, being the remarkable result of the remnants of Cyclone Laurence that developed near Darwin in the weekend of December 13 and travelled southwest along the Western Australian coast for about 10 days before moving inland and eventually creating the “Christmas wet” in the east.
An amazing weather system indeed! One that probably defines the sort of weather extremes that have become commonplace over the last decade.
For much of Queensland these were the first rains of any consequence since mid-June – an equally extraordinary 180-day dry that was yet another test for many farmers.
Sadly, not all areas received equal treatment with this most recent rain event. The driest areas of the inner Darling Downs and Burnett received more uneven and lesser falls and farmers there still need a “monsoon low” to bless their skies for a week or more.
For most farmers there is nothing new in all this, just the ongoing challenge of managing farm production in a highly variable climate.
However, if we look back over the last ten years we can see some important trends that are important to both farm operators and policy makers.
The first is that we know a lot more about weather and climate then we did ten years ago. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has greatly improved its weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities.
There is still much to be done in terms of better weekly, monthly and seasonal forecasts, plus better understanding of weather/hydrology links for water management, but progress is being made.
A number of good research projects are underway to provide even better climate management tools for farmers. It was heartening to see the re-emergence of the Managing Climate Variability (MCV) program at the end of 2009 after it was in danger of cessation due to loss of Government funding for Land and Water Australia, which was withdrawn earlier in the year.
While climate change may have the attention of politicians and the media, it is managing climate risks that must be the first priority. To do that effectively, farmers and scientists need to work closely to ensure practical matters are addressed.
Governments need to acknowledge this as well. If Australia is to remain internationally competitive in food, fibre and foliage production then climate policies and programs must be aligned with the production practicalities.
This now brings me to the second observation about the last decade. Our governments have failed completely to move to better drought programs. It is not that they haven’t been advised. There have been repeated inquiries and reviews culminating in last year’s Productivity Commission’s sixteen recommendations to reform Australia’s national drought policy and programs. But sadly, without any action.
It may be an ominous sign of inertia with public policy in Australia, but the Federal government is accumulating a remarkable record of public enquiry into a vast array of programs covering such things as schools, hospitals, corporate governance and most recently taxation. However, it seems that the implementation of recommendations is just not a priority.
While the prospect of an election may hasten or stall any impetus for change in some of the more contentious areas, we hope that an easing of drought conditions might provide the opportunity to implement the changes clearly needed with drought programs.
Both state and federal governments must act if their programs are to be aligned with the needs of farmers dealing with a highly variable and changing climate. Expert advice has been given, a consensus exists as to what is needed, and now a window of opportunity exists to conclude the work. Ministers Mulherin and Burke can now add the leadership ingredient to put our climate programs back on track to deal with the inevitable challenges our climate will deliver in the next decade.

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