Report finds good progress on strengthening social resilience in drought-prone areas

Media Releases, 7 October 2024

FRRR and ARLF (Australian Rural Leadership Foundation) are pleased to release the mid-term evaluation report for the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative (HRCPDI) – a $29.65 million initiative funded by the Australian Government through the Future Drought Fund (FDF).

Rural Business Tasmania is one of the groups partnering with FRRR and ARLF to enhance drought preparedness.

Prepared by Nous Group, the report confirms good progress is being made towards strengthening community capacity and the social resilience of agriculture-dependent communities to prepare for the impacts of drought.

According to Nous Group’s interim evaluation, the combination of the five streams of the Initiative, which include grants, leadership development activities, including mentoring, an online network and access to expert advice, are beginning to build community capacity and resilience to the impacts of climate change and drought in more than 250 locations across Australia.

The FDF HRCPDI is being delivered jointly by FRRR and ARLF. Activities in the 16 months to April 2024 included:

  • FRRR coordinating Community Impact Program co-design activities across 35 regions and distributing nearly $10 million to 161 projects.
  • ARLF designing and delivering the initial tranche of leadership activities to 228 people across 13 communities and scheduling a further 90 activities across 87 communities.
  • FRRR designing and delivering the first  round of the Small Network Grants stream ($718,000 across 28 projects).
  • FRRR establishing the Expertise Pool with over 121 available experts, which includes 40 regional-based experts.
  • ARLF delivering Round 1 of the National Mentoring Program to more than 66 participants with a further 144 participants who completed Round 2 in July 2024.
  • ARLF designing and implementing the Drought Ready network with momentum growing as membership grows beyond the current 600 members.

Among the findings is that the HRCPDI’s design, flexible implementation and a strong commitment to continuous learning and quality program delivery have supported success so far. The report has found that the design of the Initiative acknowledges that there is no one size fits all approach and provides communities the flexibility to implement or access diverse activities. These activities include events to strengthen social connection and counter isolation, delivering training that upskills the community so they can thrive before, during and after drought, building community infrastructure that enables communities to meet and interact, investing in local leadership, delivering mentoring programs or expanding the base of volunteers in a community or region.

The evaluators consistently heard from stakeholders how critical it is to invest in social resilience before drought arrives. As one stakeholder explained, “By preparing our community prior to a drought event happening, we are able to practice strength and resilience…which will act as a preventative measure.”

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, welcomed the findings that the Initiative is on track to contribute to stronger, more resilient and empowered communities.

“We are only part-way through delivering the Initiative, but it’s encouraging to have the evaluation confirm that we are heading in the right direction.

“The report confirms that focusing on building local community capacity and resilience to drought is important. As Nous’ evaluation notes, the more capacity and resilience there is in a community, the more likely it is that a community will successfully respond to the many impacts that drought can have on regional landscapes, communities and economies.

“The report also notes that the Initiative is helping to strengthen the protective factors that insulate a community from the worst impacts of drought. There was some nice feedback too, from community groups, alongside suggestions for what it will take to keep the Initiative on track and how we can refine our approach for any similar programs in future.

“We look forward to sharing the final report at the end of next year,” Ms O’Brien explained.

ARLF’s Partnerships Director Philippa Woodhill, also welcomed the report, noting that there is still a long way to go in the Initiative.

“Our focus is increasing leadership skills within communities and creating networks, so communities have people ready to step up when they need to support one another through the next inevitable drought.

“The positive effects of the mentoring program are already being seen, with people expanding and diversifying their networks. There are still plenty of leadership activities happening across the 35 regions and we are excited about their future impact. The Drought Ready National Learning Network is really taking off too, with people sharing knowledge and nurturing connections. As Nous wrote, it’s starting to act as the connective tissue between the other elements of the program.

“We look forward to taking the lessons from this interim evaluation and working together to boost the social resilience of agriculture dependent communities.”

You can read the full report online and watch a summary of the report in this short video.

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Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

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Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

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Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

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Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

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Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.