Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative

BUILDING DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS IN REGIONAL COMMUNITIES

A partnership between FRRR and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

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With much of the country enjoying a good season, it is the ideal time to ensure your community is prepared for the next drought. That’s why we’re developing a program focussed on strengthening and building drought preparedness in regional communities.

Thanks to the support of the Australian Government through the Future Drought Fund, over the next three years about $30 million will be invested in regional communities through the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative. The aims of the program are to strengthen and improve the ability of agriculture-dependent communities to adapt, reorganise or transform in response to changing temperature, increasing variability and scarcity of rainfall and changing seasons, for improved economic, environmental and social wellbeing.

It will do this by investing in projects that seek to strengthen social and community networking, support, engagement and wellbeing. There are five parts to the program, including grants, activities to strengthen leadership, access to expertise to support community-led activities, mentoring support and networking opportunities. It will be delivered by FRRR and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF), who will each take the lead on different components of the program.

For a quick snapshot of this program, watch this video.

Leadership Development Activities

Community Impact Program

Grants between $200,000 and $500,000 provided by FRRR, plus on the ground support.

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Leadership Development Activities

Impact Grant recipients can also access a range of leadership development activities, offered by ARLF.

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Expertise Pool

Access to specialist expertise to activate drought resilience initiatives (curated by FRRR).

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Small Network Grants

Grants available to develop and deliver one-off events or initiatives (led by FRRR).

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National Mentoring Program

Bringing together those who want to contribute to their community’s drought resilience with experienced mentors (led by ARLF).

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National Learning Network

Connecting individuals and organisations committed to building drought resilience, so they can learn from and support one another (led by ARLF).

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Evaluation and Monitoring

Nous Group has been appointed to assess the impact of the Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative across two and a half years. The evaluation will seek to understand to what extent the Initiative has enabled rural, regional and remote communities to prepare for future drought through strengthened social resilience, local capacity and capability building.

Nous Group has prepared a mid-term report which outlines the interim evaluation of activities in the 16 months to April 2024. It combines findings of the five streams of the Initiative which include grants, leadership development activities, including mentoring, an online network and access to expert advice. 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 in more than 250 locations across Australia.

To see the findings of the mid-term evaluation you can access the full report below, along with deep dive impact case studies and the overall approach we are taking to learn of the Initiative’s impact.

If you have any questions about the evaluation process, email futuredrought@frrr-bricks.staging67.com.

Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought (HRCPD) Initiative Evaluation Process Overview

The video above provides a summary overview of the Mid-Term Evaluation report.

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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.