I first came here for the last two years of the 13 year drought Btw for the first time in my life I'm about 300 klms from he sea. Most of my life I lived within 3 miles of it.
Drought proofing Australia has probably been the saddest failure of all Australian governments since 1888. The second being safe housing for all.

@FrayedBear Well, I 've lived and worked here, about 512 kms, give or take a kilometer, from the nearest seashore for over 80% of my working life.
We are about 100+ kms from what was ONCE the biggest flowing river in Australia ( now as close to dead or dying as it can be forced to be) and one of , if NOT, the biggest Water Storage Schemes ever in Australia, now also bloody near dead and dying as well, Mate.
I CAN state that in 60+ years, this IS the first time EVER that the Darling River has been little more than pools of fetid, stinking stagnant water separated by huge lengths of dry cracked river bottom, and trust me, my Dad and I would fish there very regularly at almost any opportunity and NEVER was the river below half full.
Our average annual rainfall out here WAS a mere 250 mms/10 inches usually, but we used to get random 'flooding rains' from time to time BUT we haven't had anything close to 'decent rains' here since 2003 and it would NOT be an exaggeration to say that IF it doesn't rain soon "the trees may well start chasing the dogs."
And, yes, I have been to Ballarat/Bendigo and that was around 2012/13, the countryside there was greener that is was here even then BUT that region, as well as southern Victoria, gets good rains most of the time and it rivers get fed from the Snowy Mountains, etc, where the Darling is fed by tributaries from the Darling Downs and those regions mostly and, as was ONCE, those inflows came down WHEN there were decent rains in that are of Queensland/northern N.S.W.
As for the polies and their 'Listening Tours' well, how much of the Drought Funds were spent solely for those 'merry little soirees' that SHOULD have spent on helping the Farmers and Graziers to battle the hardships, etc, they are enduring?
Listening IS something even a Galah can do with consummate ease, BUT actually doing something, in my opinion, IS something well beyond the scope and ability of most politicians.

@Triphid It appears that a decision was made about 25-40 years ago that people are now irrelevant if a short term dollar can be made.

And go on a boondoggle spending money that cannot be afforded.