Dry strangles Qld's west

Mr Newman spent the day with local producers Sam and Belinda Coxon on their property Kateroy before announcing a further $20 million would be allocated by the state government to deal with persistent drought.

"The extreme dry conditions continue to spread and we are potentially facing a second failed wet season," Mr Newman said.

"We're doing everything we can to support producers and rural communities that have been doing it tough for the past year."

Mr Newman said the package would be in addition to the $11.2 million in funding announced last May and would include up to $13 million funding for the Drought Relief Assistance Scheme (DRAS).

The increased funding comes as Longreach and Barcaldine regional council areas are declared drought stricken. Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh said the number of local government areas drought declared now totalled 26, including four partially declared areas with 23 individually droughted properties (IDPs) in an additional seven shires.

"Almost 65 percent of Queensland is now drought declared," he said.

"There have only been very patchy rainfall events during the summer months over much of western Queensland.

"Pasture conditions have continued to deteriorate and almost all producers have needed to supplementary feed stock for some months now."

AgForce president Ian Burnett said the funding would take further steps to help Queensland primary producers through this drought, which in many areas had persisted for more than two years.

"Assistance such as this is very much about helping our farmers through what is an extraordinarily challenging weather event and beyond a reasonable capacity to prepare for," Mr Burnett said.

"The agreement of the state government to waive the next 20pc increased in leasehold land rent will also provide some breathing space while landholders have little to no on-farm income to pay such fees.

"Agriculture is part of the lifeblood of the economy and society in Australia and is an internationally competitive, long-term viable export industry which is unfortunately now in the midst of an extraordinary event, compounded by the decision to suspend live cattle exports.

"The outlook for our rural sector in the short term is challenging to say the least." Mr Burnett said.

Member for Gregory Vaughan Johnson said the current drought conditions in the west were the worst he had experienced.

"Our commodity prices are flat, our export markets are down and there's no relief in sight - last year we had no rain at all so it's been about 18 months and our graziers and pastoralists out here are in dire straits and not only them, our short-term bankers who are carrying credit, are also doing it tough," Mr Johnson said.

"The drought of 1965 at Quilpie has left an indelible mark in my mind and this has too.

"We saw the demise of the live cattle export last year and the fracturing of the market right across the nation as a result and to compound the problems further, this drought.

"To the people I represent: You will not be forgotten by this government and you certainly won't be forgotten by me."