THE drought, from a federal government perspective, has officially hit Albury's doorstep with Greater Hume Shire receiving a $1 million in aid.
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It and Lockhart Shire will now benefit from the government's drought communities program.
They will be able to get a further $1 million as part of a wide-ranging drought aid boost announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, his deputy Michael McCormack and ministers in Canberra on Thursday.
However, Moira Shire will have to wait months to tap into drought funds.
A spokesman for Drought Minister David Littleproud said Moira was subject to a funding review and was expected to be a beneficiary when further outlays were announced in January.
Moira mayor Libro Mustica said it "absolutely" was disappointing that Moira would not be getting instant relief after having previously falling short by 0.1 per cent to qualify for drought aid.
"It would be nice to have it in the next few weeks or months and I'm going to keep talking to (member for Murray) Damian Drum," Cr Mustica said.
The new package also included a deal for up to 100 gigalitres of water to go from South Australia to Murray-Darling basin farmers.
That will be done by Adelaide's desalination plant supplying that water.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the extra water would bolster the southern Riverina.
"What this will do for the communities I represent - in fact for all communities across the Murray region - is that it will regenerate activity in areas with zero and low water allocations," she said.
"I have sat there and watched truckloads of hay going to feed the stock in the north of NSW and in western Queensland, where in some places they've been dry for seven years.
"This water can add 100,000 big square bales of hay on those trucks heading out of our region.
"Now some of it of course will stay as forage and pasture for our local farmers, but this is a large volume of water and the benefits can spread far and wide."
There will also be more roads funding in 2020 for drought-hit councils.
Mayors Pat Bourke (Federation) and Heather Wilton (Greater Hume) welcomed that prospect.
Mr McCormack said that aid should help with employment of locals or result in spending on accommodation and food by those brought in for projects.
Cr Wilton said it was apt.
"In our western portion it's starting to bite out there, it's not so bad in the eastern portion," Cr Wilton said.
"West of Culcairn, out to Walbundrie and Burrumbuttock, until last week, there had not been a hell lot of rain.
"At the weekend we had 27 millimetres at Holbrook, Woomargama had 75 and Walbundrie eight, it's quite a big difference."