Drought-stricken farmers and their neighbours in country communities might not have heard exactly what they wanted to from Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Dubbo but many have praised him for listening to their concerns and explaining how he's helping them.
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"He spoke very well," said 70-year-old Binnaway farmer Kym Monkton, who was one of about 200 people from across Western NSW who gathered in the city to see Mr Morrison speak at the Daily Telegraph's Bush Summit on Thursday.
"The key thing he said was that Aussie farmers are one of the best in the world and there's a reason for that - we're unsubsidised unlike the European Union, UK and USA," Mr Monkton said.
"We cost the government very little and as a result we are very efficient because we stand on our own."
During his 30-minute speech, Mr Morrison spoke about the billions of dollars his government had already spent helping farmers and country communities.
More support through the farm household allowance, funding to manage pests and weeds, extra mental health assistance and money for charities supporting vulnerable communities were among the measures already being delivered, Mr Morrison said. Country councils have also been provided with up to $1 million in funding.
He said the establishment of a future drought fund and passage of anti-trespass laws to prevent farms from being invaded by "utterly disgraceful cowardly keyboard warriors" would also help support people on the land.
"We know our climate is changing and we know the drought has always been apart of the Australian landscape, we know this drought won't be the last and that's why we're establishing a future drought fund," Mr Morrison said.
A permanent soil advocate will also be introduced to help farmers improve profitability and boost water storage by addressing climate challenges and poor management practices that impact on soil quality.
After the speech Mr Morrison took a range of questions from the floor about extra roads funding, the Murray Darling Basin Plan, subsidies and population growth.