00:00After two years without rain, Hamilton sheep farmer Todd Venning spends $25,000 a week shipping in feed.
00:12He's eligible for the state government's drought relief funding but says dollar for dollar grants limited to $5,000 aren't enough.
00:21Spring Street's completely forgotten about rural Victoria and what they want us to do in the future.
00:26Eleven local government areas in western Victoria already received the support.
00:31Today's announcement expands the program to another 13 LGAs across the state.
00:36But that leaves half of the state's 48 rural and regional municipalities without cover.
00:42We're feeding two days a week, my son goes one way, I go the other and we're on our own.
00:46Duncan Barber's farm at Metcalfe is one of those that missed out.
00:51It's been pretty hard to deal with seeing all that death, you know you've got to deal with death nearly every day.
00:58He feels forgotten by the government.
01:00I know they've got no money because poor management and that's why they don't want to help us.
01:05There's a nationally recognised framework that brings areas into this drought declaration.
01:10It's a double whammy for the state government which is facing an increasingly hostile backlash in the bush to its new emergency services tax.
01:19The levy hits rural landholders harder than city property owners and many farmers in the CFA are threatening to down tools in protest.
01:28Firecom, just letting you know that Borromine Tanker is going offline in protest.
01:34This is a line in the sand time. If this is not repealed, I think the whole job's stuffed.
01:42A new emergency services tax passed parliament last night after the government secured a deal with the crossbench.
01:49The Premier says volunteers can get a rebate on the levy.
01:53In staying a member of the CFA, staying a volunteer, you won't have to pay the levy.
02:00It's a bitter pill to swallow for those already struggling with the cost of a drought.
02:05You know, it's not easy to deal with and I've got to...
02:11An industry on edge.
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