The federal government must act to help drought-affected farmers immediately, the opposition said as it offered bipartisan support for a relief package.
Opposition agricultural spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon wants Prime Minister Tony Abbott to "do what needs to be done."
The government should extend a discount loans scheme to cover all affected farmers, provide a family allowance and reinstate an interstate agency that deals with drought reform, he said.
Most of those measures don't require cabinet's approval, so there's nothing stopping Mr Abbott from helping farmers "with the stroke of a pen," Mr Fitzgibbon added.
"Every night farming families are going to be wondering whether there will be support and, indeed, whether they will qualify for that support," he said on Monday.
The government said a drought assistance package including low-interest loans, income support and a range of social service programs would be announced in the coming week.
