Sign the NSW Drought Petition and collect signatures to help farmers

Fairfax Media’s petition needs at least 10,000 paper signatures to qualify for a debate about drought support in NSW Parliament. 

The Maitland Mercury has united with sister newspapers across NSW to support drought-stricken farmers and are inviting the community to help send a strong message to Macquarie Street. 

So far 1000 handwritten signatures have been received. 

It comes after the Mercury kicked off the Buy A Bale Hunter campaign in February, and set up Buy A Bale campaigns in the New England-North West, western NSW and southern NSW.

The petition calls on the state government to give farmers more support including a complete freight subsidy for the cost of freight on fodder sourced in NSW and interstate, a subsidy for the cost of livestock feed and relief on water costs and Local Land Service rates.

NSW residents:

Fill out this form to receive a copy of the petition which you can print out, sign and collect signatures in your community. 

Interstate supporters:

People who live in another state or territory can submit their details in this form to show their support.

This won’t count towards the 10,000 paper signatures needed for the debate but it will show there is widespread support for this cause. 

Fill out this form to let the community know where they can go to sign the petition. 

How do I fill it in?

Each entry must be handwritten.

All three columns must be filled in. 

The person’s full address must be included in the address column otherwise the signature will not count. 

Why do we need 10,000 signatures?

We need 10,000 handwritten signatures tabled in NSW Parliament to obtain a parliamentary debate on drought support. 

What happens once 10,000 signatures are collected?

Completed petition pages will be sent to The Maitland Mercury, who will pass them onto Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison. Ms Aitchison will table the signatures in NSW Parliament. A date for the debate will then be set. 

When should I start collecting the signatures?

Start collecting signatures as soon as possible.

Where do I drop off, or mail, the signatures?

How long will it take for me to receive the petition after I register?

Each registration appears on a single document which is monitored daily.

Your registration will be sent out manually, so you will not receive it immediately after press the submit button. 

The petition, and instructions, will appear in your inbox as quickly as possible. 

Why do I have to register to receive a copy of the petition?

We need to know who is collecting signatures, and how to contact them, so we can provide progress updates and a mail/drop-off deadline. 

Why isn’t this petition electronic?

The state government only accepts paper signatures, and we need 10,000 to qualify for a debate in parliament.

What does the petition call for?

Facebook users can now use #thebigdry frame over their profile picture. The frame is being rolled out on Fairfax Media Facebook pages across the state.

Here’s how to do it:

- If you have a personal profile, click on the update profile picture tab (on your profile picture), select add frame and search #thebigdry 

- If you have a page, rather than a personal profile, click on this link 

Campaigns are now underway in the Hunter, New England-North West, Western NSW and Southern NSW to raise money to buy hay, water, and in some cases groceries.

Each campaign is a partnership between Fairfax Media mastheads in that area and charity Rural Aid. 

Don’t live near the drought? No worries. Why not adopt one of the Buy A Bale campaign regions.

The campaigns are:

A partnership between The Maitland Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Hunter Valley News and The Scone Advocate and charity Rural Aid.

A partnership between Northern Daily Leader, Namoi Valley Independent, Country Leader – rural, North West Magazine – rural, Armidale Express, Inverell Times, Guyra Argus, Moree Champion, Tenterfield Star, Walcha News, Border News – rural, Glen Innes Examiner and charity Rural Aid.

A partnership between Daily Liberal, Western Magazine, Narromine News, Nyngan Observer, Wellington Times, Mudgee Guardian, Lithgow Mercury, Cowra Guardian and charity Rural Aid.

A partnership between Bega District News, Bombala Times, Braidwood Times, Crookwell Gazette, Goulburn Post, Yass Tribune and charity Rural Aid.

Take a closer look at the unfolding drought for yourself.