WEEKLY BULLETIN

QFF MEETS WITH MINISTER FOR FINANCE, NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ARTS

QFF President Gary Sansom and CEO Dan Galligan last week briefed Minister Rachel Nolan on issues in the new Natural Resources component of her portfolio. The Strategic Cropping Land policy was discussed in some depth, with QFF raising concerns that the policy was being watered now that mining companies will be able to pay for the right to conduct their activities that permanently alienate agricultural soils from any productive use. Concerns were also raised that the policy had moved away from protecting existing and future cropping resources to only identifying current or historically cropped land. QFF also discussed progress on the implementation of a range of water reforms, focusing on implementation of water resource planning in different parts of the State and investigations to be conducted into farm management practices for irrigation.
An important priority over the coming months will be the release of the draft Murray Darling Basin Plan and the continued implementation of water recovery programs in the Queensland section of the Basin. Mr Sansom and Mr Galligan briefed Minister Nolan on the likelihood of a significant reaction from irrigation communities subject to cuts to entitlements when the draft Plan is released. QFF advised that emphasis must be placed on better handling community consultations compared with the process conducted with the release of the Guide to the Plan in October last year.

TIMEFRAMES CLOSING TO HAVE COMMENT ON CROPPING LAND REGULATORY ASSESSMENT STATEMENT

STAKEHOLDERS have a few days remaining to make submissions to the Government Regulatory Assessment Statement (RAS) on the strategic cropping land (SCL) policy. QFF is developing a submission to the RAS, which is available on the Department of Environment and Resource Management website, ahead of the deadline of the end of June. The RAS is an important document as it gives an indication of the administrative costs that are involved in delivering the policy framework and makes recommendations on the way in which these costs should be carried by stakeholders – which include such specifics as the costs that are proposed to be charged to landholders for applying to have their land verified as being SCL or not.

FIRE ANTS KEEP SPREADING

THE State Government has published extensive newspaper advertisements on the recent spread of fire ants to new areas of southeast Queensland. The maps show that the ants have spread to areas around Capalaba, North Ipswich, Mutdapilly, Park Ridge, Marburg, Belmont, Slacks Creek and Loganholme. It is a notable setback to the fire ant eradication program, which until summer appeared to be making good progress, and had also seen the elimination of the ants near Gladstone in Central Queensland. While the news of a recent spread is bad, it is worth noting in the 110,000 hectare restricted area, only 400ha have a confirmed infestation. QFF continues to support Biosecurity Queensland’s efforts in the eradication program and sees this as incentive to accelerate efforts in stopping the spread of these ants. It is imperative that the national commitment to biosecurity measures, such as fire ant control, remains unwavering.

NATIONAL MEASURES TO ADDRESS WATER THEFT

QFF and AgForce attended a briefing last week on the implementation of a national program to help monitor and prevent the possible unlawful take of water in irrigation areas. Commonwealth and State Governments have agreed to implement the National Framework for Compliance and Enforcement Systems for Water Resource Management and $10 million has been allocated to Queensland to implement the framework over the next five years. The focus of the program is to implement a nationally consistent range of water offences and penalties coupled with compliance and monitoring programs. The appropriate level of monitoring and compliance action will be determined based upon an assessment of the level of risk in each catchment across the country. There will be four levels of risk defined. Funds will also be used to conduct stakeholder and public education, to develop best practice regulatory tools, to implement increased levels of monitoring in high risk areas, and to implement public reporting.
QFF raised concerns about the cost of the ongoing implementation of this program relative to the magnitude of the water theft problem. Questions were also raised about how irrigation communities are to be adequately consulted during the investigations and particularly during the critical phase of catchment risk assessment.

SEQ RURAL WATER ADVISORY GROUP MEETS

THE Rural Water Advisory Group to the Queensland Water Commission met last week. The group includes irrigator representatives from each major area in SEQ including the Mary Valley together and officers from key Government agencies and SEQWater. The meeting reviewed progress on a number of ongoing projects such as investigations into the use of recycled water in the Logan area and progress with irrigation scheme consultations regarding water prices. The need to form irrigator advisory committees in each of the irrigation areas was raised as a high priority issue by irrigator representatives. SEQWater agreed to investigate the issue. Other project proposals discussed included improving the reliability of Lake Clarendon and the Morton Vale pipeline, recycled water supply for the Lockyer, local recycling opportunities below Wivenhoe Dam to Mt Crosby Weir for rural production and the possibility of a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Atkinson Dam. The next meeting of the Group is scheduled for September 29.

SA POLITICIANS HAVE ANOTHER SWIPE AT UPSTREAM IRRIGATORS

ALL South Australian Federal MPs and Senators have signed a pledge on the Murray Darling Basin that has been delivered to chair of the Basin Authority, Craig Knowles, and Water Minister, Tony Burke. It is not surprising that all SA politicians had signed this pledge, given its simplicity, and that these politicians are claiming easy ground with their own constituencies. However, we feel it is a simple document that lays all the blame for recent environmental problems at the feet of over-allocation. There is no mention of the record and ongoing drought that sapped the system comprehensively from Queensland to South Australia. With the draft Basin Plan due for release in late July or early August, we expect there will be more political stunts such as this in coming weeks. For the QFF, the goal remains the same. That is, to see a fair and balanced Basin Plan that supports regional communities and does not destroy their socioeconomic fabric yet ensure security for both environmental health irrigation entitlements.

RECOVERY ASSISTANCE – CRITICAL DEADLINE

FAR North Queensland farmers are being urged to lodge their applications to the Wage Assistance Scheme (WAS) ahead of the deadline on June 30. The WAS is an integral part of the overall Tropical Cyclone Yasi recovery strategy and is designed specifically to help retain workers in the region. Employers wishing to claim WAS must have their applications lodged with Centrelink by June 30. QFF has placed advertisements in several major FNQ newspapers over the last week reminding farmers of this deadline, and that they can contact their nearest Industry Recovery Officer (IRO) for assistance. For information and contact details of the IROs contact QFF on 3837 4747.

QCA REVIEW INTO ELECTRICITY PRICES

THE Queensland Competition Authority has received a Ministerial direction to review regulated retail electricity tariffs and prices. With electricity prices continuing to rise at a rate far greater than the CPI and the looming carbon tax to add further direct imposts to farm margins, QFF will be providing a submission to this inquiry outlining the impact of electricity costs on the farm sector in Queensland. Submissions close on August 5.

OTHER NEWS

LOANS TO LIFT PRIMARY PRODUCERS’ PRODUCTIVITY

THE State Government has announced improvements to low interest loans for Queensland’s primary producers under the Primary Industries Productivity Enhancement Scheme. The loan amount has been increased to a maximum amount of $650,000. The First Start Loan provides finance for people establishing a primary production enterprise, allowing producers to buy into the family farm to ultimately trade in their own right. A new Sustainability Loan combines the former Development and Resource Management loans and is aimed at helping producers achieve greater productivity and long-term sustainability. This loan can assist producers with upgrading or expanding current operations by allowing for the purchase of capital equipment, improving irrigation, implementing value added supply chain initiatives or establishing renewable energy systems for long-term sustainability. Further information regarding loan terms is available from www.qraa.qld.gov.au

WASTE REFORMS UNDERWAY

THE Queensland Government is working to introduce waste reforms that minimise the amount of industry-generated waste produced each year. Currently only about one-third of recoverable resources being recycled. The Queensland Government’s waste reforms include a strategy that sets new directions for waste and resource recovery, support programs to help business and local government, and a levy on landfill operators for industrial waste sent to them for disposal. Materials that are recovered, reused or recycled (that is, not sent to landfill) do not attract the levy. Programs funded by the levy will aim to: support small and medium enterprises, including the reThink Business Waste program; develop new products and expand markets for recovered materials; offer grants to support the introduction of new resource recovery options; support research and development to develop processes and innovative solutions to boost resource recovery; and create waste reduction and avoidance initiatives for business. For more information click here.