August 23, 2018
The LNP has called for a Queensland-wide audit of drought declarations following concerns some were revoked too early.
Shadow Agriculture Minister Tony Perrett said local drought committees should be reconvened so the State Government could develop a better understanding of the scale and impact of conditions.
“In May, Labor Agriculture Minister Mark Furner revoked the drought declarations for 11 regional areas in Queensland just as we were entering the dry season,” Mr Perrett said.
“This was a complete miscalculation given the reports we are hearing on the ground about the intensification of the drought in Queensland.”
Currently, 57.4 per cent of Queensland is drought-declared. This includes 23 Council areas and four part-Council areas.
There are also 85 Individually Droughted Properties in a further 11 local government areas.
“The Liberal National Party is calling on the Minster to provide the two new drought commissioners with the information they require about the true extent of the drought in Queensland,” Mr Perrett said.
“While it’s not conventional for local drought committees to meet at this time of year, the situation in Queensland with the extended drought is not conventional either.
“By not recalling the local drought committees and in turn denying some regions the potential to join the drought declared list, the Minister continues to require drought-affected farmers to complete the unnecessary and bureaucratic Individually Droughted Properties (IDP) declarations process.
“Recalling the local drought committees will assist to develop a clearer picture of the scale and devastation we are really dealing with.”
