Sydney, April 5
Australia's prime minister has announced additional support for communities affected by catastrophic flooding in the country's northeast.
Anthony Albanese spent the eighth day of the campaign for the general election touring a vast area of the outback in the western part of the state of Queensland that has been inundated by flooding since late March.
The flooding in the sparsely-populated region, which is a major livestock farming area, is considered the worst since 1974 and has caused widespread damage as well as estimated losses of over 140,000 head of livestock, reports news agency.
Albanese on Saturday announced 105 million Australian dollars ($63.4 million) in funding to rebuild fencing to protect livestock from feral pigs and dogs. The state government previously made disaster assistance grants worth up to 75,000 Australian dollars ($45,314) available for affected primary producers in the region.
Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition Coalition and Australia's alternative prime minister, toured the region earlier in the election campaign, where he committed 10 million Australian dollars ($6.04 million) in funding for a new weather radar -- a pledge that has been matched by Albanese.