Petition launched as pressure mounts for return of interest-free drought loans

With drought biting hard across Victoria, The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has launched a petition demanding the return of interest-free drought loans to support farmers on the brink.

The petition calls on the Allan Labor Government to formally urge their Federal counterparts to reinstate zero-interest loans – a scheme that once offered farm businesses up to $2 million with a two-year interest-free period.

Ms Cleeland said the time for half-measures was long gone.

“Our farmers are in crisis,” she said.

“Input costs are soaring, debts are piling up, and too many are at their mental and financial breaking point.

“They’re selling off core breeding stock and walking away from generations of hard work because they’ve run out of options.

“A $5,000 grant won’t save a farm on the edge. We need serious, large-scale solutions to match the scale of this disaster.”

In addition to launching the petition, Ms Cleeland has written to Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture, calling on her to back the campaign and immediately lobby the Federal Minister for Agriculture for the scheme’s return.

“In the past, these interest-free loans were a lifeline for farmers,” Ms Cleeland said.

“They helped refinance debt, improve cash flow, and avoid bankruptcy – and they worked.

“We urgently need that same level of support now. Anything less is government negligence.”

Ms Cleeland said the response so far from state and federal governments had been inadequate and failed to reflect the urgency in rural communities.

“The Government can’t keep throwing out token gestures and ticking boxes. Farmers need access to practical, long-term financial tools and not more paperwork and delays,” she said.

“This drought is forcing impossible decisions on families who feed our nation.

“I’m urging the Minister to stop stalling, listen to the people on the ground, and lead the charge for a national zero-interest drought loan scheme.”

The petition is now live and open to the public at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FarmerLoanPetition