Grants of up to $3000 will be available to eligible drought affected Scenic Rim farmers, Federal Member for Wright, Scott Buchholz announced on Thursday.

The region had been previously left off the list of the Drought Communities Programme and Drought Communities Support Initiative but Mr Buchholz said after lobbying his government, the region made the cut.

“We delivered last month with an announcement of a cash injection for Council. Now, we’re going a step further by topping up DCSI - the most vital part of this programme, as it puts cash directly into the pockets of local farmers,” Mr Buchholz said.

“I’ve been putting the case to Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and the government has listened and responded.

“Our farmers have had flood, devastating storms and recently bushfire’s to contend with on top of the drought. We’re now taking the additional step to help local farmers to get through this tough period.”

A further $82 million will be injected into the initiative which supports primary producers.  

The scheme is run by the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Salvation Army, and eligible farming households in the 52 new LGAs will now be able to access the package from mid to late March.

Under the new Drought Community Outreach program, the Country Women’s Association and Rotary Australia World Community Service would each receive a further $5 million to provide vouchers of up to $500 to farming households experiencing hardship due to drought.

State Member for Scenic Rim, Jon Krause, said he had been trying to get the state government to release funds for farmers but to no avail. 

“I have been calling on the Queensland Government to make cash grants available for farmers, especially after the bushfires, so I’m glad to see this announcement,” Mr Krause said.

Applications should be made through the St Vincent de Paul Society on 1300 846 643 or at www.vinnies.org.au/droughthelp or through the Salvation Army on 1300 551 030 or at www.salvationarmy.org.au/drought