00:00South Australia's Premier Peter Malinowskis has announced an extra $55 million will be
00:07delivered to help drought-stricken farmers cope with one of the most devastating dry
00:12spells on record. Large parts of the state haven't experienced decent rain since around
00:17September and October last year, and back then many farmers were already experiencing
00:23one of their driest seasons. Over in the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula, the lack
00:28of rainfall has dried up dams and waterways, leaving farmers and households who aren't
00:33connected to mains water struggling. To cope, some of those residents are showering at local
00:38football clubs, going without basics like clean clothes, and some are being forced to
00:42sell their livestock. And as a result, water carters have been facing unprecedented demand.
00:48Then just last week, a new report showed the drought is also impacting Adelaide's water
00:52supply, with the city's reservoirs now at their lowest levels in decades. The state
00:57government has been under increasing pressure to do more for the agriculture sector as this
01:02drought drags on. It did previously announce an $18 million drought support package back
01:08in November, so today's announcement brings the total drought assistance funding to around
01:13$73 million. We have not seen dryness like this in South Australia for as long as records
01:19have been kept. Whether you're in the southeast, whether it be the York Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula,
01:23the Mid-North, the Mallee, you name it, we are dry. And that necessitates, I think, government
01:31stepping in and showing support. We know that a lot of farmers have been calling for interest-free
01:36or low-interest loans to help with the cost of bringing in feed and water. The Premier
01:41says today's package has been designed in direct consultation with primary producers
01:46and includes immediate financial support as well as mental health supports. A large portion
01:52of today's package, around $17 million, will also go towards future drought preparedness
01:58and resilience programs, and the government says that this funding will be available in
02:03the coming weeks.
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