WEEKLY BULLETIN

IRO PROGRAM KICKING GOALS IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

THE rural recovery from Cyclone Yasi in Far North Queensland is underway, with the Industry Recovery Officer (IRO) initiative now in operation for one month. The 15 IROs are now working across the region and as of April 1 they had contacted about 500 of the estimated 3000 farmers in the Yasi region. As the recovery progresses, it is clear that there is a need for some adjustments to government programs to allow the recovery to progress more easily. The different levels of Category D NDRRA assistance must be resolved, with the Wage Assistance Scheme (WAS) available in six (full or part) local government areas, but not in some other parts of the region. Governments have been advised that there are many cane, banana, tree and nursery farms as well as fishing businesses outside these six areas that have also been severely damaged by Yasi. There is also strong evidence that although the current WAS is due to expire on May 13, this will be premature as the recovery for many farmers has not yet occurred. This is especially the case given the seasonal employment patterns that exist for many primary industries in the region. QFF also is mindful that the cyclone has been followed by two months of heavy rain, which has greatly impeded the clean-up and recovery.

IRRIGATOR FRUSTRATION TO AIR AT PUBLIC MEETINGS ON SUNWATER PRICES

PUBLIC meetings are continuing this week on the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) review into SunWater irrigation prices. Meetings last week were generally well attended and provided an opportunity for irrigators to put questions to the various consultants on the price review and how it will impact them. The irrigators raised the following key issues:
· SunWater must provide more information to allow the QCA consultants to complete a full evaluation of the efficiency of scheme costs for the next five years. The existing SunWater network service plans cannot be accepted by QCA as a basis for determining prices.
· There has been a lack of effective consultation with scheme advisory committees over the past five years. SunWater’s network service plans are raising concerns in many schemes about SunWater’s operational and asset renewal activities.
· SunWater’s program to renew assets has left a number of schemes facing a significant negative balance in their renewals accounts, which will mean that these schemes must pay substantial price increases over the next five years to meet large interest bills and to reduce the major deficits in the accounts.
· Head office and regional office costs are rising and in many schemes these costs are well in excess of half total costs. Irrigators voiced concern that increasing centralisation of SunWater servicing was unlikely to deliver efficient and effective servicing for irrigation schemes into the future.
· Schemes that have difficulties with reliability of supply are concerned that ongoing cost increases would eventually force them out.
Each meeting also discussed a number of local issues that need to be addressed. Meeting details this week are as follows:

COMMUNITIES BROUGHT INTO THE FOLD ON WATER SAVING

CHAIRMAN of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, Craig Knowles, has outlined part of his new approach to targeting sustainable diversion limits in the forthcoming Basin Plan. Speaking at the Sustaining Rural Communities conference in Narrabri, he said that the Authority would review all opportunities to better align buyback and infrastructure programs and environmental water management. He also said there would be a strengthened commitment to involve local communities in the design and rollout of State and Commonwealth programs across the Basin. These are both key messages that QFF has been raising for several years and also at recent sessions of the Windsor Inquiry. We are optimistic about Mr Knowles’ fresh approach and hope that this flows through to on-ground outcomes. We strongly believe that local knowledge will be integral in securing the optimal outcomes in the Basin Plan.

RECOVERY AND WELLBEING PACKAGE LAUNCHED FOR NATURAL DISASTER

THE Commonwealth and State governments have announced a $39 million package to support the recovery and wellbeing of people in Queensland affected by recent natural disasters. The package was launched under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements to assist communities to confront the challenges associated with long term recovery. The package includes:
· $20 million for community development and recovery funds on the ground to provide intensive support to the State’s most highly impacted local communities, including supporting not-for-profit community groups, events and memorials;
· Up to $10 million for a Mental Health Disaster Recovery Package to support mental health services in disaster-affected communities in Queensland on top of $1.2 million in funding announced earlier this year. Local organisations on the ground within the mental health sector will receive much needed funding to bolster their work within severely affected communities.
· Up to $5.8 million Financial Counselling to provide support to families and individuals affected by the disasters who are experiencing financial problems.
· A $2m Disabilities Care Plan to help a number of non-government organisations across Queensland to deliver crisis accommodation and respite care for people with a disability.

MEETINGS FOR SEQWATER IRRIGATION CUSTOMERS

SOUTH east Queensland irrigators are being invited to a series of workshops to discuss the planning underway for determining Seqwater’s future irrigation tariffs. Irrigation water is now being charged under a five-year price path established in 2005-2006 when SunWater owned the water supply infrastructure. This price path sets the tariffs water users see in their bills from Seqwater. This price path ends on June 30, 2011. These meetings will explain and discuss the two stage process for setting irrigation water prices over the next five years; and also identify areas in each water supply scheme that the Queensland Competition Authority may need to take special note of when undertaking its independent investigation. Commission officers wish to include these areas in the forthcoming scheme visit. Confirmation of attendance is required to Michelle.Brittan@qwc.gov.au or phone 3405 0351. The schedule for meetings is:

MEMBER NEWS

SAFETY A PRIORITY IN COTTON COUNTRY

AS cotton picking ramps up, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the industry’s vital workforce is the focus of a new safety program being launched by Cotton Australia. Cotton-Safe is an initiative from Cotton Australia designed to promote safer on-farm working practices, assist with everyday risk assessments and encourage a cotton country culture of safety. Cotton Australia’s NSW Regional Manager, James Houlahan says with the harvest now well underway, this was exactly the right time to launch Cotton-Safe. “Cotton-Safe is about taking a whole of enterprise approach to safety on cotton farms, from considering the challenges of working with tall machinery near power lines to hearing and vision protection. Cotton-Safe will have a broad scope, targeting various potential risks, delivering advice and information about how those risks can be effectively reduced.” Mr Houlahan says Cotton Australia will continue to deliver OHS messages and information as part of Cotton-Safe during the harvest season.

GROWCOM WELCOMES RETHINK ON ASIAN HONEY BEES

GROWCOM has welcomed news that the federal government has told a Senate enquiry it has decided to rethink its decision not to fight the invasion of the destructive Asian honey bee. Growcom recently made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural Affairs and Transport currently investigating the science underpinning the technical feasibility of eradicating Asian honeybees. It argued that more time and debate needed to be given to the question of whether Australia could eradicate the Asian honey bee since key scientists were not in agreement about whether or not it was “impossible” to achieve. CEO Alex Livingstone said that Growcom supported the efforts of the Australian Honey Bee Industry’s Council to have funding restored to the Asian honey bee eradication program in Queensland. Mr Livingstone said that Biosecurity Queensland had so far detected Asian honeybees in Queensland at Cairns, Gordonvale and Aloomba, at Mareeba and Lake Eacham, and as far south as Innisfail. “However, the pest should be considered a national problem since it could well become established in states further south, as Queensland fruit fly has done, to the detriment of horticulture Australia-wide.”

COSTS OF WATER UNDER REVIEW, LOCALS MEETING SEEK GROWER INPUT

CANE growers will attend local meetings this week, calling for transparent price setting of water, based on cost-efficient schemes. Having just come out of one of the toughest seasons on record, cane growers are particularly keen to ensure that the prices they are being asked to pay for water – in many cases a key and considerable cost in the business of growing cane – are as low as possible. “Cane growers want to be sure their local scheme is being run as efficiently as possible, and as water is such a large cost for many of our growers, we are expecting them to use the irrigator customer meetings to drill down and ask the tough questions about efficiency of their local schemes,” says CANEGROWERS CEO, Steve Greenwood. A report from consultants commissioned by the Queensland Competition Authority clearly identified that SunWater has not been able to provide enough information to allow an adequate analysis of scheme costs. CANEGROWERS says the meetings are a way for growers to put pressure on QCA to provide an adequate basis for recommending an efficient price path for each local scheme, and is encouraging irrigators to attend a meeting in their local area to ensure their voice is heard.

OTHER NEWS

NEW QUEENSLAND FOOD FELLOW STEPS UP TO THE PLATE

FOOD consultant Alison Alexander is the inaugural Queensland Food Fellow for the State Government. She will act as the State’s ambassador for food by profiling the vast array of food produced across Queensland. The Queensland food value chain is worth $18.5 billion, supporting 267,000 jobs. The role will help promote Queensland’s reputation in food production to other food opinion leaders and the food industry. Over the next two years, Ms Alexander will travel across Queensland and interstate to the self-proclaimed food capitals of Sydney and Melbourne to profile the food and innovative food science of Queensland.

LANDCARE CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN

REGISTRATIONS are open for the 2011 Queensland Landcare Conference, in Ayr from September 20 to 23. The event is expected to attract around 250 landcarers from across Queensland and further afield as it explores the theme generations of guardians. As well as hearing from keynote speaker, Dr Linda Selvey, CEO Greenpeace Australia Pacific, about the future of Australia’s food security, delegates can also choose from more than 31 concurrent presentations already confirmed – with many more to come. Early bird registration for community groups is only $380.