OUR FUTURE IN Q

UEENSLAND’S Natural Resources Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, holds in the palm of his hand what could be an incredible future for the Richmond-julia Creek districts.

That’s where it has been and that is where it is staying: in the palm of his hand. When he could be allocating Flinders River water to projects that are ready to go he can’t let go and say “here’s the water”.

What water has been allocated has gone to big pastoral leases that aren’t putting it to the use. This could be because of Native Title hurdles or because water allocations are as good as money in the bank. These unused allocations are attractive assets that can be turned into dollars when the property is eventually put to market.

Richmond Mayor John Wharton has been fighting for water allocations for Queensland’s northwest for 20 years. He is arguing that it is regional Queensland that has kept the state running during COVID.

And he says that even at the national level it is mining and agriculture in the regions that has oiled the piston rings in the nation’s economic engine room during the pandemic. And it is the regions that will keep on keeping on during future pandemics and recessions and depressions.

Cr Wharton is asking if there is anyone out there in government who is listening and who understands the need to accelerate development in the regions in order to future-proof state and national economies.

“Anthony Lynham is stuffing around,” he told me this week.

“He knows he can get this done. The water studies have been done and the CSIRO has signed off on the allocations from the Flinders River. There’s nothing left to do except for the state government to go ahead with the allocation.”

Cr Wharton said the state Labor government had invested $1.3m in a feasibility study into the development of 8000ha of agricultural land in the Nelia district, straddling both the Richmond and Mckinlay Shires.

Richmond Mayor, John Wharton and (right) Anthony Lynham and (below) Deb Frecklington.

It is a community project that would put $40m back into the Richmond economy each year.

Cr Wharton says the state government funded the feasibility study.

It knows how good this ground is and what it can produce and yet it won’t let water be taken from the Flinders during peak flood periods.

“Our 8000ha is made up of freehold land and 99-year Grazing Homestead Perpetual Lease. The government has told us we are good to go but we can’t do anything because we can’t get water,” he said.

“Give us the water and we will create jobs. This is a community-driven project. It’s not something run by a huge agribusiness company or a multinational.

“What I’m saying to Dr Lynham is: ‘Take back the water allocations you gave to big pastoral leases who aren’t using it and are just sitting on it and give them to us and to other operators who will do something straight away.’ We will be growing cotton and there will be a cotton gin in town, which means that existing cotton growers in the North – at Georgetown and at Mareeba – won’t have to take their cotton to the gin at Emerald.”

At this phase of the state election cycle you’d think Dr Lynham would be doing everything possible to put his party on the front foot. The reality is he’s doing the reverse.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has been to Richmond and has inspected the 8000ha agricultural precinct and considers it a nobrainer. She told Cr Wharton that, as a development proposal that would boost the state’s economic coffers and provide jobs, the Nelia project was “low-hanging fruit”.

She said water would be immediately made available for the Nelia project if the LNP won government on October 31.