Dry argument: Australia's drought policy dilemma

In the costly, contentious and emotional debate over drought policy, there's one thing that almost everyone can agree on: the worst time to try and develop a clear-eyed drought policy is during a drought, according to ABC Rural.

Drought policy specialist and Canberra University Professor Linda Botterill adheres to that view, arguing that there is a case to be made for taxpayer-funded drought assistance, "but it needs to be well thought through in advance, and not developed in the heat of an argument of a drought."