A $19.5-million package has been announced for Victorian farmers who have had their income affected by this week's flooding events throughout the state.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced a one-off direct payment of $10,000 to primary producers to support the clean up, re-establishment, and any other efforts to recover from the disaster.
"This is all about [the] clean up and about support for those who are without income and are in the most uncertain of times," Mr Andrews said.
"This is an initial payment and we'll get these out the door as fast as we possibly can but just the certainty of knowing that this is coming will be a comfort."
Subsidised transport of up to 50 per cent will also be on offer to help farmers transport emergency water and fodder, and stock to agistment, sales or abattoirs.
Concessional loans of up to $250,000 have also been announced, which will have a reduced interest rate over a five-year period.
"This is the food bowl of our nation and we'll stand with every farmer, every primary producer, everybody in the agriculture supply chain at this really difficult time," Mr Andrews said.
Small businesses will also be supported with an immediate initial payment of $5000 via a $54-million package, while $4.4 million will also be committed to the mental health of flood-affected communities, including $500,000 being sent to farming groups that focus on the welfare of the sector.
Mr Andrews said 423 roads were closed as of Wednesday, while 268 roads had been reopened since the flooding event.
He said workers were making it a priority to get access roads fixed for those transporting goods for the agriculture sector.
"We know that large parts of our dairy country has been impacted by these floods," he said.
"Getting tankers in and getting milk out is important... and we will continue to push on throughout the day and into the night to make sure we open up more of those roads."
The announcement comes after an earlier pledge of $165 million to be spent on finding and fixing potholes and repairing road surfaces damaged by flooding.
"This $165 million additional funding is urgent, it's there now, teams are doing that work so we can get more and more roads open, freight, fodder, emergency services or local residents to where they need to be," Mr Andrews said.
He said with further rain forecast, there was potential for more damage.
"They are kind of temporary repairs, crews will have to come back and do more substantive repairs," he said.
"It's a trade off between what we can get done now and roads that need to be open for the purposes of safety, providing relief, providing support and freight."
Department of Transport regional transport chief Paul Northey said they didn't have a set timeframe for when each road would be reopened.
"But we want to assure the community we are moving as quickly as we can," he said.
"As floodwaters subside and emergency services have declared our roads are safe, our crews are moving in to inspect every kilometre of the network and deliver emergency repairs where they're needed most.
"Everyone has seen the confronting images showing what floodwaters have done to our roads - we will need to undertake much more than emergency repairs."
Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said impacts were still being assessed.
"It's impossible to fully understand the impact on food availability and prices at this early stage," she said.
"What we do know is there will be significant impact and disruption coming through our supply chain in the coming months."
The federal government has also extended support for flood-affected areas in south-eastern Australia.
One-off payments of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child are available across dozens of local government areas in Victoria and Tasmania.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said as the full extent of the damage became more apparent, more assistance would be provided if needed.
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Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
