The pressure is on for the Federal Government to improve drought assistance, as farmers struggle against seriously dry times.

The Nationals whip in the Senate, Barry O’Sullivan, has warned the Coalition partyroom of a crisis in Queensland, and demanded more federal help.

O’Sullivan joins a chorus of discontent about drought money, with Queensland Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne recently writing to his federal counterpart Barnaby Joyce about the matter.

Mr Byrne wants the Abbott government to find more money for the Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate scheme.

The scheme - part of a $320 million federal drought package announced last year - has run dry, after Mr Joyce allocated the last of it to NSW in March.

“With a large area of Queensland entering its third year of drought, and given the success of the EWIR scheme in assisting producers to avoid animal welfare issues and improve their preparedness in future droughts, I urge you to consider providing a further top-up,” Mr Byrne wrote.

This week, Central Queensland LNP MP Lachlan Millar said he had invited Mr Abbott to visit rural regions and see why there must be more cash flow into drought-affected towns.

“We have to look at immediate economic stimulation of the local economy here, which means putting money back into the town directly,” Mr Millar told the ABC from a meeting in the regional town of Longreach.

“While it is all good getting goods and services donated up here, what happens there is that we miss out on people buying things locally.

“So we need cash injected into this town, whether it is a continuation of road funding where local road workers continue to be employed.”

Mr Joyce’s office reportedly directed the Queenslanders to the upcoming agricultural competitiveness white paper, due later this year.

Reports say submissions for the white paper include calls to increase the flexibility of farm management deposits, create a permanent concessional loan scheme, and provide additional assistance for prolonged drought.

But help will not come soon, with a Senate committee this week rejecting a proposal for a rural reconstruction and development bank.