The prolonged drought has made life hard for those of us living in regional and rural areas. There are towns around New South Wales that have been predicted to run out of water as soon as the end of the year.
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While my town of Parkes is not in immediate danger of running dry, the situation remains extremely challenging.
Parkes has been recorded as having its lowest ever rainfall on record in recent years, and it's hitting us hard. As a canola farmer, I've been forced to mow down my fields of bright yellow canola flowers and watch it be turned into feed for my sheep.
Climate change is the elephant in the room when it comes to talking about the drought.
There's been talk about fast-tracking dam approvals in New South Wales to get communities the water they so desperately need - but no one's talking about what we need to do to tackle the changing climate that is driving this agonising dry spell.
I've been working the land for as long as I can remember and I've never seen conditions as confronting as they are right now. Climate science tells us that this is only the beginning unless urgent action is taken to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Parkes Shire Council has invested significantly in our water security over the last five years; we have constructed new, more efficient water and wastewater treatment plants, and upgraded our raw water supply infrastructure, including raising our dam, constructing a new river pump station, and refurbishing Council's bores.
We are currently commissioning a Recycled Water Scheme, and are using recycled water for municipal irrigation. But these are band-aid solutions; they address the symptoms but not the underlying cause.
What we need is genuine action on climate; a transition away from burning fossil fuels towards thriving on the readily available and abundant power of renewable energy and battery storage.
The solutions are here, and Parkes Council has been doing its bit on climate for years.
We're a founding member of the national climate alliance Cities Power Partnership, and we've installed hundreds of solar panels on council buildings and we're helping locals to install solar on their homes.
The farmers and community of Parkes and surrounding areas are a nimble bunch but without action on climate, I'm not sure how much longer we can withstand.
Let's get climate change and drought solutions on the agenda together.
Ken Keith is the mayor of Parkes, in Central NSW.