Australia Weather News

Before the rain, the dam was dry at Allan Hill station, west of Charters Towers. - ABC

Rain in parts of western Queensland in the past week has raised hope that the drought may finally be over, but the long, dry years have already devastated pastures and wiped out incomes for many farming families.

Federally funded relief packages were put in place to help alleviate the drought's impact, but support groups said further measures were needed to help families get back on their feet.

For some pastoralists, it was the first rain they have seen in more than three years.

But Isolated Children's Parents Association president Kim Hughes said it may not be enough to break the drought.

"While some of these areas have had rain, it's very easy to think, 'ok, the drought has broken and we all go back to normal', but the recovery period for these families is really significant," she said.

"We just need something in place so that they can keep their kids at school while things are really tough."

With the school year just started, she said help with school fees was an urgent priority.

"The families that were in drought-declared areas would be able to get assistance from that scheme for their boarding school fees, as we have really felt like the state and the federal allowances for boarding schools aren't really keeping pace with the actual costs.

"We have eight shires in Queensland that actually don't have a secondary school and all of those shires are drought declared so they have to send their kids away - they have no other choice."

Rainfall has been patchy, with neighbouring properties in some instances receiving dramatically different amounts.

Drought declarations still cover 86 per cent of Queensland, the largest ever amount of the state's land to be in drought at the same time.

Queensland Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson said the State Government would help farmers recover.

"There's still a lot of hope for ongoing or further rain," she said.

"As yet I wouldn't call it drought-breaking rain.

"We certainly need to see good follow-up rain and the local drought committees will wait until April to reconvene and then have a look at whether enough rain has fallen to say that it has been drought breaking."

Currently, state drought relief only covers agricultural costs.

Ms Donaldson said that was unlikely to change.

"My department administers the drought relief assistance scheme, which is actually designed to provide in drought business assistance and it is about ongoing drought costs for their businesses to prevent livestock from starving or dying.

"But that assistance isn't something that extends to other household or education expenses.

"Across the board in a number of ways the Queensland Government is providing assistance. We as a government have spent a record amount on our drought assistance programs since the drought began, and we also want to make sure we are not duplicating money that's been provided by the Australian Government."

Ms Hughes said more people would be forced to quit the land if they could not afford to live there.

"For a lot of these small communities, if they can't afford the fees and they move away.

"They're also taking their younger siblings out of the primary school system. So, you know, we're seeing a real population decline in the primary schools in these areas because the families just can't afford the boarding school fees."

ABC