{"id":257606,"date":"2020-05-05T10:44:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T00:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=257606"},"modified":"2020-05-05T19:39:39","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T09:39:39","slug":"irrigation-prices-frozen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/05\/05\/irrigation-prices-frozen\/","title":{"rendered":"Irrigation Prices Frozen"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_98597\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98597\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/anthonylynham.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-98597\" src=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/anthonylynham.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/anthonylynham.jpg 200w, https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/anthonylynham-190x300.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98597\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Natural Resources Minister<br \/>Dr Anthony Lynham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>May 5, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The State Government will freeze irrigation prices for a year &#8211; and absorb dam safety costs &#8211; as part of measures to support Queensland businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur farmers are doing it tough as they deal with the fallout of long-running drought, bushfires, severe weather events, volatile markets and now the impacts of COVID-19,\u201d Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to keep our farmers in business for our food and fibre and to create jobs, just like other Queensland employers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government will invest $14.7 million &#8211; about $2300 per farmer &#8211; in 2020-21 to keep prices low for irrigators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn effect, the government\u2019s decision means that irrigators will, on average, be roughly $400 a year better off in 2020-21 than this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The State Government will:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Absorb price increases in 2020-21 recommended by the Queensland Competition Authority<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Pass on any price decreases recommended by the Queensland Competition Authority<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Subsidise $42 million worth of dam safety upgrades across the State over the next four years rather than ask irrigators to contribute towards them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dr Lynham said consultation with industry bodies had made clear irrigators\u2019 concerns around affordability and government had responded.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe freeze is a temporary relief measure, just as other Queensland businesses are receiving because of COVID-19,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government will monitor conditions over the next 12 months before it re-assesses and decides on prices to apply from 2021-22.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Queensland Farmers federation president Allan Dingle thanked the State Government for &#8220;finally listening to the concerns of farmers&#8221;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome irrigation schemes were facing significant cost increases without taking into account irrigators\u2019 ability to pay, while dam safety is a community responsibility and provides no additional benefit to farmers,\u201d Mr Dingle said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith clarity regarding the long-term viability of some schemes and positive benefits for the productivity and profitability of Queensland farm businesses, particularly in the Burdekin and Three Moon Creek, farmers can now continue producing high quality food, fibre and foliage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, QFF is disappointed the announcement has maintained the long-standing inequity that some irrigators continue to pay well above &#8216;lower-bound&#8217; costs, which is the level of pricing the government has been aiming for.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the government has heard and acted on our concerns, we expect them to continue consulting with industry over the next 12 months as they reassess and decide on prices to apply for 2021-22.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>The State Opposition said the announcement was more about the upcoming State Election than helping farmers in the long-term.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shadow Minister for Natural Resources Dale Last said farmers were already paying too much for water and needed a long-term solution to give them a viable and secure future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis announcement fails to address the larger structural issues that affect water pricing in Queensland,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFarmers are already paying too much for water and kicking the issue into the long grass will only continue the pain for another year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s clear that Annastacia Palaszczuk and her Water Minister are not listening to the concerns of irrigators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/22\/irrigation-charges-unreasonable\/\"><strong>Irrigation Charges &#8216;Unreasonable&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/17\/qff-rejects-water-pricing-report\/\">QFF Rejects Water Pricing Report<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/12\/bp-irrigators-face-huge-rise\/\">BP Irrigators Face Huge Rise<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/10\/23\/irrigators-raise-cost-concerns\/\">Irrigators Raise Cost Concerns<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/09\/19\/irrigators-to-meet-in-murgon\/\">Irrigators To Meet In Murgon<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/09\/09\/irrigators-face-46pc-rise\/\">Irrigators Face 46pc Rise<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/14\/government-turns-down-irrigators\/\">Government Turns Down Irrigators<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/09\/mp-presses-case-for-irrigators\/\">MP Presses Case For Irrigators<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/08\/08\/lnp-calls-for-suspension-of-water-fees\/\">LNP Calls For Suspension Of Water Fees<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/07\/16\/mayor-joins-sunwater-protest\/\">Mayor Joins SunWater Protest<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/07\/15\/water-costs-blowout-feared\/\">Water Costs Blowout Feared<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/04\/04\/steep-rise-in-water-costs-forecast\/\">Steep Rise In Water Costs Forecast<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/10\/29\/irrigation-costs-to-be-reviewed\/\">Irrigation Costs To Be Reviewed<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/10\/31\/lnp-fears-hidden-water-rises\/\">LNP Fears Hidden Water Rises<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/07\/10\/lnp-calls-for-freeze-on-water-costs\/\">LNP Calls For Freeze On Water Costs<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>[UPDATED]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Government will freeze irrigation prices for a year and absorb dam safety costs <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":158370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1455,3,36],"tags":[1134],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.11 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Irrigation Prices Frozen - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The State Government will freeze irrigation prices for a year - and absorb dam safety costs - as part of measures to support Queensland businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/05\/05\/irrigation-prices-frozen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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