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Following an extensive consultation process including in-person workshops, online sessions and receiving one-on-one feedback across both the Mary and Burnett regions, such as Cooroy, Kingaroy, Gayndah and Bundaberg, the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program has now moved into its next phase. The process was open throughout, with after-workshop feedback also welcomed and considered alongside contributions shared during the sessions. Insights gathered from participants, particularly those with lived experience of drought, have been carefully reviewed and analysed to identify five priority projects. These projects reflect the realities, priorities and practical needs of local communities and will guide the delivery of targeted, place-based initiatives through regional partners. While the timing of the next drought cannot be known, this work provides a clear, community informed pathway to strengthen resilience across our landscapes, industries and towns.

Identify and grow people in the community who can be local champions for local issues.

We’re doing this so:

  • Local leaders can be identified and helped to grow in those leadership roles to enable them to increase their capacity to not only lead, but effectively support others in the community.

We will do this by:

  • working with local partners to identify local champions and leaders

  • finding the right leadership or support program for each champion, taking into account their skills, strengths and community needs.

  • Creating a regional awards program to recognise and reward these champions.

What you will see is:

  • A call to nominate a local champion, either someone who fills the role now or who could, with the right coaching.

  • More leadership and development opportunities both in and out of region.

  • A sponsored, regional awards program, recognising the great work that local champions already do and will continue to do.

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Improve the access to and sustainability of local support services in areas that become drought-affected.

We’re doing this so:

People in the Burnett region have better access to locally-based support services during and after drought.

We will do this by:

  • building on or developing pilot programs that increase the ability of and capacity for people to access and use local support services.

  • advocate for increased funding for the delivery of new and existing programs, delivered by local support groups.

  •  developing strategies and programs to attract and maintain the local workforce, because without the workers, you don't have anyone to run the programs.

  • developing and trialing government worker retention incentive programs in regional centres across the Burnett region.

  • Develop programs on how to maintain a network of workers.

What you will see is:

  • an increase in awareness programs and an increase in an ability to access these in the region.

  • pilots of one-stop-shops to assist these support services are developed in the Burnett region.

  • a ready guide to the support services available in region and those who have remote services.

  • more lobbying and advocacy for a continued increase in local support services in the Burnett region

  • opportunities to ‘piggy-back’ services e.g. skin check/breast check, at community events where the people are.

  • an evaluation report of what services are being utilised and what aren't, and a tailoring of these services to what's needed in the Burnett.

  • ways that both farm and town businesses can both hang on to their existing workers, and find more.

  • local incentive program to increase the retention of government support workers in the region.

  • strategies farms can implement to maintain access to their network of works, particularly during drought.

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Work with the local community and the First Nations people to uncover historical and traditional skills and knowledge to effectively prepare for and endure drought, then build this into lessons that others can use.

We’re doing this so:

  • We can see an improvement in the condition of the land in the region.

  • the region benefits from a blending of beneficial land management practices, where local wisdom and indigenous knowledge is being used to prepare for and manage the impact of drought.

  • We gain a greater appreciation, right across our community, in the role both traditional owners and early farmers played in providing and opening viable, productive land across the region.

We will do this by:

  • working with partners across the region to first, find out what has been done already, then collate and record to fill in any gaps.

  • feeding this information into how we monitor for drought.

  • putting together education and training programs and trial sites, to give existing farmers and new farmers in the region an edge when drought hits.

What you will see is:

  • a list of existing training programs that people can register for.

  • local experts engaged in filling in the gaps in the programs.

  • pilot training programs that bring traditional and first nations learnings together in the region.

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  • improve digital connectivity across the Burnett region.

  • improve the use of digitally driven technology throughout the Burnett region’s communities.

  • support an increase in the uptake of new digitally based technology for and in agriculture (Agtech).

We’re doing this so:

  • we can all have equitable connectivity for all communities in the Burnett region.

  • we see a reduction in the extent of connectivity ‘black spots’ in the region.

  • Burnett communities are better able to take advantage of digital products and programs.

  • that the uptake of Agricultural technology (Agtech) is improved, making things easier on farm.

We will do this by:

  • using existing reviews and information to identify ‘black spots’ for home, mobile and farm connectivity in the Burnett region.

  • working with partners to advocate for more resources to address the region’s ‘black spots.

  • finding out what digital literacy programs exist in the Burnett region, rather than reinventing the wheel.

  • finding ways to deliver these digital literacy programs across the Burnett region.

  • developing a pilot funding program that supports regional farmers to adopt new digitally based Agtech technology and infrastructure.

​What you will see is:

  • a comprehensive list and map of black spot areas produced and verified for the Burnett region.

  • a program to reduce the extent of blackspots in the region.

  • programs that improve the digital literacy of people in the Burnett region, delivered across the region

  • a call to be part of the pilot program, when it's developed.

  • these pilot projects delivered in the Burnett region where they will be are evaluated and the results (economic and other) made available for others to follow.

  • field days, where examples of new technology are being adopted.

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RDAWBB RDRP Burnett Top 5 Projects.jpg

Strengthen business planning and financial literacy in regional communities.

We’re doing this so:

Business owners, both on farm and in town, are more able to carry on financially, during a drought.

We will do this by:

  • working with businesses to identify appropriate training programs, especially in the areas of business and finance.

  • finding and funding reputable training organisations to deliver training in the Burnett Region.

What you will see is:

Training opportunities, such as business planning and financial literacy programs, designed to health check your business and find the gaps that might become ravines during a drought.

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