Advocacy in Action | Climate Variability & Disasters
Queensland growers know better than most that natural disasters are part of the landscape. Cyclones, floods, fires, and storms aren’t just weather events - they are business interruptions, crop losses, and community upheavals. While the risks that come with climate variability and natural disasters are second nature to growers, resilience alone cannot carry an industry through disaster after disaster. That is where QFVG’s advocacy has made a measurable difference.
Over the past year, QFVG has worked to ensure that disaster recovery frameworks finally reflect the realities of horticulture. For too long, growers were locked out of support because the rules were designed for industries with very different production systems.
This year we secured significant wins. In May, after sustained advocacy, the Queensland and Australian Governments amended the definition of a primary producer under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). This change opened the door for many growers who had previously been ineligible for recovery assistance, ensuring that disaster grants, concessional loans, and freight subsidies are accessible to more of the businesses that keep our state fed.
Equally important was the recognition that replanting is an essential part of recovery. For too long, growers who lost entire crops faced the absurd reality that an unplanted seedling could be eligible for support, while the same seedling planted the day before a flood was not. The decision to allow disaster grants to cover the cost of replacing lost or damaged crops was a long overdue correction - and one that speaks directly to the advocacy of Queensland growers.
These reforms were not technical fixes - they were practical breakthroughs that will help growers recover faster, with less red tape and more dignity.
QFVG is not stopping there. We continue to press governments on:
PALM labour flexibility to allow workers to stay on-farm during and after disasters.
Transport subsidies to offset the freight costs that compound disaster impacts.
More grants, fewer loans, so recovery doesn’t saddle growers with long-term debt.
Payroll tax pauses as a form of disaster relief.
Queensland is Australia’s most disaster-prone state, and our growers carry a heavy share of that burden. But every policy breakthrough we secure, every guideline change, and every recognition of the unique needs of horticulture builds a disaster recovery framework that finally begins to match the reality on farm.
Our growers can’t control the weather, but QFVG will continue to ensure that when disaster strikes, they are supported by a system that recognises their realities and backs their recovery.
