Not every farm will or should be saved by the taxpayer from the drought that is gripping most of the state, Queensland senator Barry O'Sullivan says.

The outspoken rural advocate made the frank declaration to hundreds of people while discussing assistance packages at a special drought forum in Longreach hosted by ABC News and Landline.

"We've got people in the sector who should never have signed the document, never have borrowed the money, should never have paid that price for that property," Senator O'Sullivan said.

"You know them, you know them by name - some of them are neighbours - they were always going to go broke.

"There's always a percentage and we can't [save them].

"This is about the real backbone of the industry that we have to keep underpinning."

O'Sullivan critical of own party's job cuts

Senator O'Sullivan also promised to take back to Canberra proposals such as making drought a natural disaster - in the same vein as a flood, fire or cyclone – and extend the term of concessional loans from five to 10 years.

Senator O'Sullivan took a shot at his own party over the decision by the former Newman government to cut government jobs in Longreach.

"My state government took 44 families out of this community," he said.

"They were wrong to do it.

"It was a wrong decision and Bill you should put them back."

Queensland Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne responded that it was too early to make that commitment.

"We need to know where the demand is, where the requirements are," he said.

"The damage wasn't just done in Longreach.

"I was up in the DAF (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) office and saw the cobwebs on the vacated buildings.

"I think we lost a third of the DAF staff here in Longreach over the last three years and I can assure you that's been replicated across every regional community."

The program, Getting a grip on drought, will air on ABC at 7:30pm Friday and will be seen in part on Landline on Sunday at 12:00pm.