More relief possible for Qld farmers

The Queensland government will examine Malcolm Turnbull's drought relief package to ensure everything possible is being done to help affected farmers.

The Queensland government is considering additional relief to drought-stricken farmers across the state but those options won't be finalised until cabinet meets next week.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says 57 per cent of Queensland remains in drought despite the situation improving from March 2017 when 88 per cent was drought-declared.

"We've had one the driest summers, we need to make sure we're doing everything we can for our farmers," Mr Palaszczuk told reporters on Monday.

The Queensland cabinet will examine the federal government's $190 million relief package announced on Sunday, along with the state government's $34 million package, she said.

"We want to make sure our effort is complementing that of the federal government."

The announcement follows a Bureau of Meteorology warning that there was a 50 per cent chance an El Nino weather pattern occurring in the coming summer.

"If this was a card game you'd have to say the pack was stacked with chances of it being below average rainfall or about average rainfall," BoM Queensland state manager Bruce Gunn said.

He said much of southern Queensland had experienced lower than average rainfall for most of 2018 and the outlook for the next three months was the same.

"The chances are things will get worse before they get better," he said.

Mr Gunn said the El Nino phenomenon causes conditions on the east coast of Australia to be hotter and drier than normal weather patterns.


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Published 6 August 2018 5:44pm
Source: AAP


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