They’re known for their generous work with several charities throughout their individual careers, but Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman have now joined forces to give a very large donation to struggling farmers amid the horrific drought.
Appearing in a joint video, which aired live on the Today show on Monday, the married couple gave an emotional plea for more support, before confirming they would personally be donating $100,000 to the appeal.
“We love Australia and we realise there has been a crippling drought crisis and the rural communities are doing it really really hard right now, so we want to do our bit,” Nicole said.
She added: “We’re asking anyone else out there who wants to give anything, this is the way in which you can give.” Meanwhile, Keith then said: “Any little thing you can give makes a big difference.”
Looking as loved up as ever on screen, Keith and Nicole held hands as they exchanged glances with each other during their speech. The pre-recorded clip showed Nicole in a stylish blue printed outfit, while Keith sat beside her in a v-neck grey t-shirt.
The past two months has seen countless reports of farmers struggling in the drought, with some posting images of dead and starving livestock, which have drawn millions of dollars in donations from the public through platforms such as Buy a Bale, Rural Aid and Fiver for a Farmer.
Australia’s biggest companies have made much of their own multi-million-dollar corporate donations to the cause, the big banks in particular, while Australian music icon John Farnham has pledged to headline a drought relief concert later this year. And at the end of July, the New South Wales government announced an additional $500 million in assistance for drought-affected farmers.
However, the boss of the peak body representing the country’s biggest agricultural companies has since controversially pleaded for the drought campaigns to stop turning struggling farmers into ‘charity cases’.
Tim Burrow, the chief executive of Agribusiness Australia was speaking to The Australian‘s well-connected rural correspondent Sue Neales about the ‘drought mania’ he says is being driven mainly by a city-based media and is damaging the public’s view of a vital sector in the economy.
“This is not the worst drought on record and only a tiny proportion of farmers, even in NSW where this drought is centred, are in desperate straits,” Burrow told the newspaper. “Australia has always had droughts and always will have, but the vast majority of farmers are managing through it and coping fine.”