Queensland

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its decision to block the construction of the Traveston Dam because of the project’s potential impact on threatened species.

Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, says he has concluded the dam would have “unacceptable impacts” on matters of national environmental significance.

Mr Garrett says his decision is based on science – science that is very clear about the adverse impacts the project would have on the nationally protected Australian lungfish, Mary River Turtle and Mary River Cod.

The minister says the advice he has received from independent experts and his department demonstrates the dam proposal would lead to irreversible consequences for the species and, most likely, would lead to their further decline.

Mr Garrett says dams can play a valuable role in terms of water supply when well located and carefully designed. He says, however, the Traveston Dam would seriously impact the species’ breeding by flooding of their habitat and fragmenting significant populations.

He says the Queensland Coordinator-General proposed about 1,200 conditions of approval, but the effectiveness of the measures was uncertain because they couldn’t be tested until the dam was operational.

Sugarcane growers in the Wet Tropics region of the Great Barrier Reef will receive $420,000 funding from the Federal Government to improve the quality of water flowing from their farms into the reef.

So far this year, 82 farmers in the Wet tropics have received water quality grants under the Caring for Our Country program and the additional $420,000 will allow a further 16 projects to go ahead.

The program aims to reduce the amount of nutrients, pesticides and sediments impacting on the reef. The Wet tropics region has a significant influence on overall reef water quality, with improvements in quality critical to building the resilience of corals to rising sea temperatures and other climate change effects.

Sugarcane farmers in the region have been proactive in adopting new techniques to increase sustainability and profitability. They are using global positioning systems in tractors to allow more precise planting and application of fertilisers and pesticides. Hooded sprayers are enabling more controlled herbicide application and zonal tillage is reducing sediment runoff by minimising soil disturbance.

Further information on sustainable land management in the Wet tropics is available here.

An improved land-use planning framework is part of a new strategy for the Queensland timber industry after the privatisation of Forestry Plantations Queensland.

The strategy focuses on a change of role for the Bligh Government from direct ownership of timber plantations to one of leadership and direction-setting.

Minister for Primary Industries, Tim Mulherin, says there are inconsistent planning and assessment processes across Queensland which have generated uncertainty for potential investors.

He says the government will develop a timber plantation assessment code to deliver regulatory consistency and certainty for new timber plantations. The code will encourage private investment in commercial plantations in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The strategy comprises five key points: an improved land use planning framework for plantations; supporting legislative and policy frameworks; facilitating new investment in plantations; targeted industry development support; and strengthening community support for timber plantations.

The timber industry in Queensland contributes about $4 billion annually to the state’s economy and directly employs about 18,000 people in regional areas. The strategy is available here.

Nearly $1.8 million in Federal funding is being allocated to save one of Australia’s most precious wetlands near Townsville.

The money will help the Queensland community group, The Wetlands and Grasslands Foundation, buy and protect Comarty Wetlands, a 1,600 hectare property near Townsville that will become the Wongaloo Conservation Park.

The funding covers two-thirds of the $2.5 million purchase price. The Queensland Government and the Townsville and Burdekin Councils have also committed funding, and the foundation is working with community donors to raise the remainder of the funds.

Comarty Wetlands adjoin the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and form the core of one of the largest coastal wetland complexes in eastern Australia, an already important breeding site for brolga and magpie geese. It is surrounded on three sides by national park and other conservation areas, and its protection will generally improve the resilience of the nearby Ramsar-listed wetland.