{"id":241712,"date":"2019-08-14T18:48:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T08:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=241712"},"modified":"2020-07-09T11:02:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T01:02:34","slug":"government-turns-down-irrigators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/14\/government-turns-down-irrigators\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Turns Down Irrigators"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Barker-Barambah Irrigator Advisory Committee chair Stuart Nicholson and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington are both calling for the suspension of SunWater’s Part A charges during drought<\/figcaption><\/figure>August 14, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murgon businesses may face a recession as bad as one they faced in 2007-2008 when many had “For Sale” signs in their windows. <\/p>\n

That grim prediction was made on Thursday when Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington met with representatives from the Barker-Barambah Irrigator Advisory Committee at Bjelke-Petersen Dam.<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington told the group she had written a letter to Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham on their behalf.<\/p>\n

The letter requested him to suspend all Part A (ie fixed cost) payments on local irrigators’ water contracts until SunWater could supply them with water.<\/p>\n

But Dr Lynham had rejected her request.<\/p>\n

Because of declining water levels at Bjelke-Petersen Dam, irrigators using the Barker-Barambah Water Supply Scheme have received no water since July 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead, 100 per cent of the dam’s water is being used to supply Murgon and Wondai town residents.<\/p>\n

The reduction to a zero allocation has come after two years of cuts, which saw irrigators receive only 17 per cent of their allocations in 2017-18, and just 10 per cent of their allocations last year. <\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said Barker-Barambah irrigators weren’t the only people in her electorate facing the problem.<\/p>\n

Irrigators in the Lockyer Valley have also seen their water allocations slashed in recent years.<\/p>\n

“Dr Lynham’s response is deeply disappointing,” Mrs Frecklington said.<\/p>\n

“He has refused to listen to the plight of irrigators and refused to follow a precedent set in 2006-2009, and the follow-on costs to this region are enormous.<\/p>\n

“The State Government really needs to have a good look at what it’s doing to Queensland’s rural and regional sectors.”<\/p>\n

Stuart Nicholson, the chair of the Irrigator Advisory Committee, said he shared Mrs Frecklington’s disappointment and was concerned about effects on the local economy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“In normal times no-one has a problem paying their irrigation charges because we use our water allocations to grow crops and make our money from doing that,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But right now the 160 irrigators in this scheme are paying about $860,000 a year to SunWater in Part A charges but with no water, we can’t produce any crops.”<\/p>\n

Stuart said the result meant not only was the local economy losing the profits that come from farming in normal years, but it was also seeing close to $1 million a year disappearing into SunWater’s coffers.<\/p>\n

“You take that amount of money out of the economy of a town like Murgon and it really affects a lot of people,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington agreed.<\/p>\n

“There are also flow-on effects from this to cattle and pig producers and feedlots, who use some of the crops our irrigators produce to feed their animals,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This will push up their own costs, and that’s bad for them, too.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said the water situation in the irrigation area was already “pretty bleak” with Bjelke-Petersen dam levels sitting at 5.7 per cent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This is an agricultural region and we’re used to tough times,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Our farmers are professionals who use best practices on their farms and are doing everything they can to get through this drought.<\/p>\n

“But this is a case where they genuinely need support. And if Annastacia Palaszczuk wants to show solidarity with the bush, this is the time for her to overrule her Minister and do it.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said that despite Dr Lynham’s rejection of her request, she had no intention of giving up the fight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I’ll be meeting up with Agriculture Minister Mark Furner on Friday where I intend to raise this with him,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I’m also going to be asking a Question on Notice about this when parliament sits next week.<\/p>\n

“The Government waived Part A charges in 2006-2009 and I don’t see any good reason why they can’t do it again.”<\/p>\n

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