Drought officially over
TOWNSVILLE’S drought status will be lifted for the first time in three years after good summer rainfall brought desperately needed relief to parts of North Queensland.
The Townsville Bulletin can reveal local drought committees have recommended the State Government revoke the drought status of the Townsville City Council, Burdekin Shire Council and northern parts of the Charters Towers Regional Council areas.
Agricultural Industry Development Minister Mark Furner is expected to today accept the committees’ recommendations.
A number of other regional areas in the state’s south will also have their drought status revoked.
Townsville and the Burdekin have been drought declared since 2015, and Charters Towers was declared in 2014.
Mr Furner said several North Queensland drought committees had reported pasture growth was “good” after the recent rainfall in the region.
“As a result, I have accepted the recommendations of the local drought committees to revoke these areas,” he said.
However, more than half of the state remains in the grip of a now six- year- long drought.
Mr Furner said at the peak of the drought in March last year 88 per cent of Queensland was drought- declared. “I’m pleased to announce that ( rain) falls earlier this year have helped drop the droughtdeclared areas down from more than 66 per cent to 57 per cent,” he said.
Mr Furner said he wanted to stress that any producer experiencing difficult conditions in a revoked area or any council area that was not drought declared could apply for an Individually Droughted Property declaration.
“This gives ( producers) the same access to our drought as- sistance as an area declaration and we will review the 80 IDPs in 10 other council areas that we have in the coming weeks,” he said.
Mr Furner said producers in any drought- declared area who believed their property conditions were improved enough to allow restocking could have their property individually revoked.
“If their drought declaration is revoked, producers can access returning from agistment and restocking freight subsidies through the Drought Relief Assistance Scheme for up to two years after the end of the drought declaration,” he said. “However, to be eligible for these subsidies producers must ensure their property’s drought declaration is first revoked before introducing any livestock.”
Mr Furner said it was unfortunate not all of Queensland had experienced the same increase in rainfall. “Much of southern, central and western Queensland continued to receive below to well- below average rainfall,” he said.