THE country’s new Drought Co-ordinator will target charities to ensure the goodwill of Australians — and their donations — helps farmers and communities “most in need”.

Only two weeks into the job, Major General Stephen Day will convene a meeting this week with the nation’s biggest charities to focus fundraising efforts.

In his first interview, Major-General Day told The Sunday Telegraph there has been “lack of co-ordination and coherence to all that’s going on”.

“That means there are some gaps, that means there are some overlaps, that means there are some inefficiencies,” he said.

“If you’re going to raise money, the best thing to do to help farmers and their farming communities is to get that money to them either directly through the charity or through vouchers so they can spend the money in their local communities.”

Charities invited to the meeting in Brisbane on Thursday include Drought Angels, Aussie Helpers, The Salvation Army, Australian Red Cross and the Country Women’s Association NSW.

“I will use all the charm and the influence the good Lord gave me but at the end of the day, the charities are full of well-intended folk who will decide what they want to do,” he said.

“I think if we can look at this as a team sport, we’ll have a better effect”.

Major-General Day said he would also streamline paperwork and “make it easier” for farmers applying for financial assistance from the federal Government.

“I’ve looked at the Farm Household Allowance form and it’s complex and it is time- consuming to work through,” he said.

In the past fortnight, the Australian Army veteran has travelled across Queensland and NSW.

“I haven’t had a day off but nor have our farmers and I don’t expect to have one for a while,” he said.

Major-General Day has also met with the NSW Drought Co-ordinator Pip Job, NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair and the new Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

A decorated soldier who served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, Major-General Day said he had a “three-phase approach” to his new role.

“I’m going to listen, then I’m going to plan and then I’m going to act and I’m not going to get that order out of sequence,” he said.

“One of the things I’ve learned from my military experience in the wars of our generation is you don’t want to rush to failure here. You don’t want to come out with a half- cooked plan so I am going to take the time and the Prime Minister has given me some space to work up a proper plan.”