People as far north as Tenterfield, as far west as Broken Hill, as far south as Albury and along the coastline are putting their hands up to collect signatures for the Mercury’s NSW Drought Petition.

The goal is to obtain 10,000 paper signatures so the issue will be debated in NSW Parliament. 

There has been so much support across Australia that the Mercury had to create an online portal where interstate residents could register their support.

If you are a NSW resident fill out the form below to receive a copy of the petition and obtain signatures.  

If you live in a state or territory other than NSW and would like to lend your support to this cause, fill out the form below.

You details will automatically be included in an electronic petition which will be given to the NSW government. This petition will not count towards the 10,000 paper signatures from NSW residents required for a parliamentary debate on the issue, but it will help to show the government that there is widespread support for this cause across Australia.

It’s humbling to know that people on, and off, the land are willing to donate their own time to help farmers in need – and help to protect our food bowl. 

Upper Hunter farmers Cassandra McLaren and Rachell Cox took copies of the petition to Merriwa’s Festival of the Fleeces last weekend and helped collect 570 signatures. Thanks to RM Property and Livestock for having the petition on their verandah. 

More signatures were collected in Gulgong last weekend thanks to another group of volunteers. 

The momentum comes as Fairfax Media mastheads across the state unite to promote the NSW Drought Petition – and step in to help farmers in their own communities.

The Mercury is helping them to set up Buy A Bale campaigns in their own regions, which will raise money to buy hay, water and groceries for farming families in their communities. 

The Buy A Bale New England-North West campaign was launched on Tuesday and the Buy A Bale Western NSW and Buy A Bale Southern NSW campaigns will kick off later this week.

Charity Rural Aid, who created the Buy A Bale initiative, will collect the funds and distribute the hay, water and groceries. 

It’s been five months since the Mercury stepped in to help Upper and Lower Hunter farmers battling a crippling drought, and since then the conditions across other parts of NSW have continued to deteriorate. 

While we cannot make it rain, or put feed in the paddocks, we can do whatever we can to help make this time a little easier for our farming communities.

After all, the drought has a widespread flow-on effect well beyond the farm gate.