Weekly Bulletin

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15 Jun 2010 WEEKLY BULLETIN, June 15, 2010

REEF SHOWCASE SUCCESS IN CAIRNS
LAST week’s inaugural reef showcase in Cairns has been applauded as a success from across the industry and stakeholder spectrum. About 70 industry and regional NRM group representatives met in Cairns to hear a series of presentations on how the Reef Rescue program has become a successful partnership that is delivering agricultural and environmental outcomes. The showcase was attended by Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, who likewise praised the outcomes being achieved through Reef Rescue. Participants at the forum heard how Reef Rescue has so far delivered improved management practices on over half a million hectares of land and in the past two years has entered into contracts with more than 1480 land managers. The forum was followed by a bus tour of the region visiting grazing, banana and sugar cane properties to view successful on-ground projects.

ARROW SEEKING WASTE DISPOSAL SITE ON DOWNS
ARROW Energy has advertised an application under the Environmental Protection Act for a facility that will dispose of 200,000 tonne of regulated waste (saline water) on the Darling Downs. The possible site described in maps covers a large tract of intensive farmland across the Darling Downs. The application is seeking approval for a “high hazard” and/or “significant hazard” dam and relates to Arrow’s CSG project in the Surat Basin. The Department of Environment and Resource Management is seeking submissions within 20 days from when the application was advertised on June 4. Arrow is holding a series of community information sessions on its Surat Gas Project with the details available on their website.

POLICY FORUM NEXT WEEK
THE QFF policy forum is next week on June 24 in Brisbane. Now is the time to register your to attend by filling out the attached form and returning it to QFF. An agenda for the information-filled day as well as biographies of the speakers is also attached for your information.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN – REGULATION OF WATER PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT CHARGES
MINISTER for Water, Penny Wong, announced last week that new water planning and management charge rules will apply to users throughout the Murray Darling Basin from 1 July 2011. The rules have been prepared on the basis of advice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). These rules are required under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007 and require that whenever a Basin State government sets a charge to cover the cost of water planning and management activities, they must publish detailed information about the charge, and disclose the process and basis for setting the charge. The current transition period to the new rules will be extended until 30 June 2011 to allow governments and agencies further time to adjust to the new requirements. Further information about the water planning and management charge rules including a copy and a summary of the rules, and the ACCC’s advice, can be found at: www.environment.gov.au/water

STATE BUDGET A NON-EVENT FOR QLD AGRICULTURE
THE State Budget released last Tuesday has given a cursory glance at the agricultural sector, with the government failing to deliver on significant new research or infrastructure that would increase the capacity of primary production.
In the DEEDI portfolio, notable Budget items include:
• Further funding for the fire-ant eradication program
• The establishment of a centre of infectious diseases at Coopers Plains to combat Hendra Virus and funding for a Hendra Virus trial
• Additional funding to deliver a biosecurity strategy and single Biosecurity Bill
In the DERM portfolio, notable Budget items include:
• Expansion of the Wild Rivers program
• Increasing national parks
• A waste reform agenda and waste levy
• Additional funding for the Nature Assist program, which encourages conservation-focussed farm management
• The implementation of the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan 2009 will continue under a five-year, $50 million program.
The budget was always expected to be a bland affair as the government attempts to arrest fairly daunting deficit. Nevertheless as we have said in previous years with so little money around it continues to concern us that there is no overarching plan for how the government intends to reach its target of increasing the value of the Queensland farm sector from $11 billion to $34 billion by 2020.
At Budget briefings last week, government officials announced that the State Budget would return to an operating surplus in 2014 and that total debt would be less than earlier predictions. Nonetheless, the total debt is expected to reach about $84 billion in 2013-2014, with an estimated annual interest bill of $3.4 billion.
One piece of news in the Budget that may have gone unseen was the indication that applications for gun licences will increase from $35.45 to $79.50 and gun licence renewal fees will go from $58.50 to $131.25. The Budget also had a very strong focus on encouragement and expansion of the resources sector, including funding to speed up the approval processes involved.

QFF RESPONDS TO PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION REVIEW
QFF has finalised its submission to the Productivity Commission review of rural Research and Development Corporations. This important review is expected to guide the future of agricultural research and as such it is drawing very keen interest, not surprisingly because R&D is such an important driver of farm profitability and productivity. In our submission, QFF has outlined the importance of the research effort in Queensland, and how valuable it is to have a strong partnership between industry and government. In addition to highlighting the strength of the current RDC model, for QFF it is also a priority that the government address the flatline trend that exists for rural research at the moment. As we state in our submission, QFF considers the estimated $1.6 billion annual Australian investment in rural research as not adequate to provide the nation with attractive, vibrant, and sustainable regional communities. QFF has made six recommendations in its submission, which will soon be available from the QFF website.

OTHER NEWS

APVMA WATCHES THE US ON ENDOSULFAN BAN
THE Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has announced it is watching closely the decision by the US to seek a voluntary phase-out of endosulfan in that country. The US Environmental Protection Agency said the decision was based on risks to farm workers applying the agricultural chemical and to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The APVMA has sought advice on this matter from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The Department has confirmed these risks exist and will soon provide advice to the APVMA whether it believes that trigger legislation would enable the APVMA to take action on endosulfan in Australia.

NATIONAL LANDCARE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
FINALISTS have been announced in the National Landcare Awards and are available from the Awards website. Voting is now open for the People’s Choice Award, and organisers are encouraging people to log on and cast their vote. Voting closes on June 23 and the winner will be announced at the national awards in Canberra.

QLD WORKSAFE AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN
ENTRIES are open to the 2010 Queensland Work Safe Awards. The awards acknowledge industry and individual accident and incident prevention efforts while promoting best practice. With primary industries having to confront many safety challenges in day-to-day business, the awards are an opportunity recognise businesses that are setting a very high standard. More details are available from www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

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