Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud said a total of 42 participants have been selected for the Drought Resilience Leaders program in Western NSW.

“Farmers and members of the community in this region of New South Wales will have the opportunity to join a cohort of forward-thinkers and work with others to drive action in their community to prepare for future drought,” Minister Littleproud said.

“The program gives future leaders in rural and regional areas the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills through leadership development and undertake community activities.”

The participants from Western NSW were selected after a competitive application process. They will take part in a mix of residential and remote training, including personal and community resilience, and network and adaptive leadership.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton congratulated the 32 leaders selected from the Parkes electorate.

“It’s great to see so many leaders from the Parkes electorate put their hand up to take part in this development program,” Mr Coulton said.

“This will only enrich our region, equipping these progressive locals with the skills they need to prepare their communities for future droughts.”

The Drought Resilience Leaders program is a partnership between the Australian Government and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Limited (ARLF).

ARLF will work with the next generation of rural and regional leaders to develop their leadership capabilities, encouraging them to work together with their communities to better prepare for drought.

On completion of the program, participants can apply for a Community Engagement Grant for a local project to continue building drought resilience for their community.

For more information about the Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Leaders program and other FDF programs visit: awe.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/future-drought-fund

Parkes electorate participants:

Amanda Brownlow – Dubbo

Belinda Bel – Warren

Blake Edgecombe – Broken Hill

Claudia Bryant – Broken Hill

Dylan Stone – Broken Hill

Ellen Day – Broken Hill

Fiona Kelly – Broken Hill

Gayle Ball – Broken Hill

Ghislaine Barbe – Broken Hill

Grace Ridge – Bourke

Jacqueline Dutton – Lake Cargelligo

James Cleaver – Dubbo

Sally Rindfleish – Dubbo

Jessica Payton – Bourke

Jessica Murray – Louth

Kathryn Hines – Broken Hill

Katherine Botha – Broken Hill

Keiley Noble – Narromine

Kelly Leonard – Broken Hill

Dulcie O’Donnell – Broken Hill

Leroy Johnson – Mutawintji

Miranda Cooper – Broken Hill

Nano Moody – Narromine

Nathan Fell – Broken Hill

Rod Campbell – Dubbo

Rosalie Siemer – Broken Hill

Samuel Greville – Broken Hill

Summa Rayner – Broken Hill

Tamara Cuffe – Broken Hill

Tammy Greer – Dubbo

Thomas Ellis – Broken Hill

Tracy Blackburn – Dubbo

Mark Coulton caught up with two of the local leaders in Broken Hill – Ghislaine Barbe and Rosalie Siemer