Portfolio — 30 June 2026

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins announced $27 million through the Future Drought Fund's Scaling Success Program to expand or extend fifteen drought and climate-resilience projects across every state and territory [TA-260629-agricu-e134ad9f7ce1]. The program funds a range of organisations, with the largest grants going to South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc ($2.81 million), AG Excellence Alliance ($2.71 million), Adelaide University ($2.63 million), CSIRO ($1.97 million), and Mallee Catchment Management Authority ($1.50 million), among others [TA-260629-agricu-e134ad9f7ce1].

CSIRO will also provide technical advice to help farmers integrate Oldman Saltbush — a drought-tolerant perennial shrub — into grazing systems as a year-round livestock feed option. The Farming Forecaster project, operating across New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, will support farmers to improve feed management and natural capital, helping them leverage favourable conditions and prepare for dry periods.

Collins framed the announcement around inevitability of drought: "Drought is a case of when, not if, which is why we're working with farmers and regional communities to help them prepare for and boost their resilience to drought" [TA-260629-agricu-e134ad9f7ce1]. The portfolio's design logic — scaling proven projects rather than commissioning new ones from scratch — signals a deliberate efficiency rationale, applying existing technology and institutional knowledge to broaden impact.

This announcement follows the $30 million in Future Drought Fund commitments made on 26 June, and together the two tranches push the government's stated investment in rural support and drought-resilience measures to more than $1.3 billion since July 2022 [TA-260629-agricu-e134ad9f7ce1]. The continuity note in the Stage 1 package identifies a dual-track portfolio strategy — technology-driven innovation alongside First Nations partnership — now reinforced by two successive funding rounds within the same week.

Policy staff should note that the First Nations dimension referenced in that framing is not elaborated in today's media release; the record covers the technology and organisational-grant strand only.