{"id":194236,"date":"2017-10-31T22:48:14","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T12:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=194236"},"modified":"2020-08-12T10:10:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T00:10:24","slug":"mayor-calls-on-pollies-to-solve-tarong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/10\/31\/mayor-calls-on-pollies-to-solve-tarong\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Calls On Pollies To Solve Tarong"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The closure of the Tarong Power Stations and Meandu Mine will occur at some point in the future, and Mayor Keith Campbell believes it will throw the South Burnett into a major economic tailspin unless the State Government develops an alternative well beforehand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell (Photo: SBRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 31, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell will call on all political parties contesting the up-coming State election to come up with a practical solution for the inevitable closure of the Tarong Power Stations and Meandu Mine.<\/p>\n

The Mayor is preparing a detailed statement that will be released to all parties before the election.<\/p>\n

“At some point in the future – maybe 12 years, maybe 20 years from now – the Tarong Power Stations and Meandu Mine will come to the end of their working lives,” Mayor Campbell said.<\/p>\n

“The closure of this major regional employer will devastate the South Burnett’s economy unless we have an alternative in place.<\/p>\n

“I believe the time to start seriously thinking about what this might be is now.”<\/p>\n

The Mayor said he believed one possible future for the region lay in the development of intensive agriculture, though this would require irrigation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studies carried out by the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) showed there were about 26,000 farm businesses in Queensland and they employed 60,608 people – an average of 2.3 people per farm.<\/p>\n

Intensive agriculture would allow either more but smaller farms, or larger farms which employed more people.<\/p>\n

Either way, irrigation would lead to more local jobs.<\/p>\n

Another potential solution was the establishment of more food processing industries in the South Burnett to convert farm produce to foodstuffs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The QFF estimate that in 2015-16, an additional 315,000 Queenslanders were employed in the food supply chain, more than five times the number employed on farms.<\/p>\n

“If you look at Swickers or PCA, they’re both very large employers,” the Mayor said.<\/p>\n

“These are two local industries that convert farm products into foodstuffs, and they make an enormous contribution to our region’s economy.”<\/p>\n

The Mayor said the inevitable outcome of the State Government not looking ahead and developing a plan for the phase-down of the Tarong Power Stations was what is currently happening in Victoria with the closure of power stations there.<\/p>\n

Ballooning unemployment and economic depression in regions formerly reliant on coal-fired power stations was forcing the Victorian Government to invest large sums in an effort to try to solve the problems the closures have caused.<\/p>\n

The Mayor said it would be better for the State Government to plan ahead to avoid repeating the Victorian experience, and he will be asking all political parties to commit to coming up with a “Tarong solution”.<\/p>\n

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The Queensland Farmers Federation also believes all political parties need to pay serious attention to agricultural policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Monday the QFF released a 10-point policy plan, chief amongst which was a call on the Government to make a long-term commitment to developing intensive agriculture in Queensland to raise productivity growth rates.<\/p>\n

The QFF has also called for a 40 per cent reduction in power prices; affordable bulk water prices for SunWater and SEQWater schemes; installing BOM weather stations across Queensland’s prime agricultural areas; a long-term commitment to removing all mobile black spots; and significant, ongoing R&D investment to help lift agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n

QFF President Stuart Armitage said Queensland\u2019s agricultural sector lay at the cornerstone of the state\u2019s economic and social success and must be respected, encouraged and supported to ensure this can continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cA vibrant and thriving agricultural sector will only be achieved by addressing the challenges and capitalising on the opportunities in front of us, which requires deliberate and strategic action.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the next Parliament, we need a government that will guarantee farmers fair production costs, create and foster an environment that promotes productivity and resilience, and ensures the building blocks and infrastructure that underpin the sector are in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sector is the only one that can deliver food security, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity for relatively low risk \u2013 a compelling case regardless of your political persuasion\u201d, Mr Armitage said.<\/p>\n