Australia’s latest Prime Minister, Scot Morrison, has confirmed his first priority in the top job will be to help drought-stricken farmers and their communities.
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He made the pledge during a press conference on Friday after he was chosen as the leader of the Liberal party on Friday, replacing Malcolm Turnbull.
“My immediate priorities in addition to of course our economic and national security is the drought,” he said.
“I’ve already discussed this, as Josh [Frydenberg] has said, with the leader of the National Party.
“This is our most urgent and pressing need right now and i’ll be meeting with Major General [Stephen] Day as soo as possible to review our drought-response plans and to hear from him and working with the Nationals and our rural and regional Liberal members to ensure that we do what is necessary to help our regional communities, our farmers, and all those affected, we will do what is necessary and coordinate with the states and territories.”
The pledge comes as a convoy of trucks arrive in NSW to bring relief to several drought-stricken areas.
Nine trucks arrived in Narrabri, Broken Hill, Lightning Ridge, Cobar, Pilliga, Coonabarrabran and Binnaway over the weekend.
More hay trucks also arrived in the Upper Hunter last week.
The Buy A Bale Hunter campaign, a partnership between the Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and charity Rural Aid, has received another significant boost.Sing Australia Belmont raised almost $21,800 through a fundraising event on August 20. Other fundraisers held since the event have pushed that total to well over $22,000.