Mr. Brumby announced $136 million in additional funding for water projects across the state, but he failed to outline how the money will be spent, reported the AAP. The issue of water has become a topical issue across Australia, as the impact of the drought begins to worsen, where the Prime Minister had called for the nation to pray for rain last week.
Talking to the Herald Sun, John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, said that the recent rainfall was "A beginning…but it is promising." He continued to urge Australians to pray for rain.
Reverend Col Stringer, an evangelical pastor said that although the rain did not herald an end to the drought, but it provided a welcome boost to farmers. The rain came within days of the Prime Minister calling the nation to prayer, said Reverend Stringer.
"Remember the requests sent out for rain? Well if you have seen the news lately you will be pleased to know that rain has fallen in some of the states and while it has not heralded the end of the drought it has given many farmers a welcome boost! And all of this came within days of the Prime Minister calling for prayers for rain!! Many areas had very substantial falls," said Reverend Stringer.
The reverend continued to ask people to pray for the rain and be grateful for it. He said: "So now what do we do? Well first of all we need to be grateful for the rain we have received and secondly we need to continue to pray, believe and claim God's blessings over our nation. That the windows of heaven are open and the rain will continue to fall over the areas that need it."