Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I met by telepresence last week with newly appointed chairman of the Southern New South Wales Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, Barry Irvin AM; chief executive of the hub, Cindy Cassidy; Charles Sturt University director of external engagement, Samantha Beresford; and professor of food sustainability, the Hon. Niall Blair, to discuss progress on this important venture.

Mr Irvin, who is also the Bega Cheese executive chairman, leads a board of industry leaders in agriculture, water management, business, law and sustainability, including Batlow farmer Barney Hyams, putting in place measures to find solutions for the economic, social and environmental impact of future droughts and to ensure that the hub enables our farmers to have the very best tools available to continue to remain competitive on the global market.

The Southern New South Wales Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub is one of eight hubs established across the country through the federal government's $5 billion Future Drought Fund. I was with the agriculture minister, the member for Maranoa, at CSU's AgriPark in Wagga Wagga to announce the hub on 12 April this year. Each hub will have a particular focus on collaboration. They will provide networks for researchers, primary producers and community groups to work together to enhance drought resilient practices within their focus region. They'll become flagships for precincts of agricultural innovation. Indeed, they will advance commercialisation. These opportunities to help and enhance our wonderful farmers are very important.

The Wagga Wagga hub recently received a further $2½ million, on top of the $8 million announced to establish it in April, to expand on its remit of drought resilience. We know that the next drought is on its way. We know that. Australia is a country of flooding rains and, indeed, droughts, so what we're doing with this agenda is targeting four priorities: exports, climate resilience, biosecurity and digital agriculture. The hub is already playing a key role in developing and researching technologies to ensure that farmers in the Riverina and the Central West, who punch well above their weight, and farmers right across the nation will be best placed to adapt to environmental and economic challenges based on science and innovation. Riverina and Central West primary producers are very mindful of this, they're very glad about our investment, and they're getting right behind the hub.

The southern New South Wales hub is going to be a leader for agricultural innovation and supporting farmers and communities right across my region. CSU earlier this month established the Agriculture, Water and Environment Institute, to be opened by the end of this year, to build on the work being done through the hub, and it will employ 20 research positions. So there's a lot happening in this space. I'm very mindful of the government's investment. It's a very wise investment. It's very good indeed.

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