{"id":252680,"date":"2020-02-12T21:19:09","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T11:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=252680"},"modified":"2020-07-13T10:16:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T00:16:11","slug":"bp-irrigators-face-huge-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/12\/bp-irrigators-face-huge-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"BP Irrigators Face Huge Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Irrigators accessing drought-stricken BP Dam received no water this year, but still had to pay 75 per cent of their normal fee to Sunwater … now they face a 48.5 per cent rise in fixed cost charges over the coming five years if the State Government accepts a QCA report on water pricing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Shadow Natural Resources Minister Dale Last<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 12, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Irrigators using the Barker-Barambah Water Supply Scheme could face a 48.5 per cent rise in Part A fixed charges over the next five years if the State Government accepts a recommendation from the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA).<\/p>\n

However, irrigators using the Boyne River-Tarong Water Supply Scheme will see no increase in fixed charges over the same period, and just a 9 per cent rise in Part B consumption charges.<\/p>\n

The new prices are outlined in the QCA’s rural irrigation price review for the period 2020-24, which was handed down on Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report is the first the QCA has conducted on irrigation pricing since 2012-13.<\/p>\n

It provides two sets of prices for the State Government to consider – one with dam safety costs included and being passed on to farmers, and the other without.<\/p>\n

The pricing recommendations have drawn sharp criticism from both the LNP and the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF).<\/p>\n

LNP Shadow Minister for Natural Resources Dale Last said the “irrigation rip-off” would result in scheme failures, job losses and economic decline.<\/p>\n

“The Palaszczuk Government’s ‘cost-reflective’ pricing will effectively kill off a large number of irrigation schemes in regional Queensland,” Mr Last said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Last year the LNP warned the Palaszczuk Government the final report would deliver unsustainable price increases, but at the time Minister Lynham accused the LNP of scaremongering.<\/p>\n

“Well, given the shocking price hikes delivered in the final report, Labor\u2019s great water rip-off has been confirmed.<\/p>\n

“We know that land without water is worthless. That is why it is so crazy to have a situation where Labor is willing to push water prices beyond the reach of farmers.<\/p>\n

“If the water is there and farmers cannot afford it, there is something fundamentally wrong.”<\/p>\n

Mr Last said the LNP had called on the State Government to reject any move to recover dam safety costs through the water price farmers pay.<\/p>\n

“It is unsustainable to expect farmers to pay for community safety costs of public assets,” Mr Last said.<\/p>\n

The QFF also expressed concerns over the QCA report.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“With some irrigation schemes facing significant cost increases and the inclusion of dam safety upgrades … without taking into account irrigators’ ability to pay, questions are raised regarding the long-term viability of some schemes and the productivity and profitability of Queensland farmers,” QFF president Allan Dingle said.<\/p>\n

“There must be a concerted effort to implement measures that help the irrigation sector cope with the significant issues arising from these water security and pricing reforms.”<\/p>\n

Mr Dingle said one of the major issues was the inclusion of dam safety upgrades in water pricing.<\/p>\n

“It is our very strong position that dam safety costs are a community responsibility and should not be borne by irrigators,” he said.<\/p>\n

The new irrigation pricing structure is due to come into force on July 1.<\/p>\n