23 October 2008
DAFF08/147BJ
Joint Media Release
The Hon Tony Burke MP - Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Hon Peter Garrett MP - Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
The Greater Barrier Reef will benefit from water quality improvements and reduced run-off with the allocation of $23 million in Rudd Government funding to natural resource and industry groups, announced today.
The funding is part of the Australian Government’s $200 million Reef Rescue package and aims to continue work to reduce the amount of fertilisers, chemicals and sediments entering waterways that drain to the Great Barrier Reef.
Details were announced today by Australian Government Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke.
“The Rudd Government recognises that many farmers have already carried out great work on their properties to improve land management practices,” Mr Burke said.
“Most of this $23 million will help farmers in the sugar, horticulture, grazing, cropping and dairy industries to continue that good work, which will boost productivity and reduce costs.
“Projects will include the use of GPS-guided farming to reduce soil compaction and erosion; managing and re-vegetating cane drains and converting machinery to use fertilisers and herbicides more efficiently.
“The funding will also help research and development to improve reef lagoon water quality.”
Under Reef Rescue, regional and industry organisations work with private landholders and land managers to help the Great Barrier Reef resist the impacts of climate change.
The money will roll out in the next few weeks throughout Queensland coastal catchment groups and to industry.
“Improved land management can have a real impact on the health of this internationally renowned, World Heritage listed natural wonder. Through Caring for our Country the Rudd Labor Government has set a clear objective of reducing nutrient and chemical discharge from land to the Reef by 25 per cent by 2010,” Mr Garrett said.
“I am very pleased that through this program Rudd Labor Government is bringing together farmers, land managers, environmental groups and the industry in an unprecedented way to ensure that the Great Barrier Reef has the best chance of survival, particularly in the face of dangerous climate change,” he said.
Five regional organisations will each receive up to $7 million to work with industry organisations, land managers and landholders to give the Reef a better chance to survive climate change impacts.
In addition, just over $1 million will support a partnership between five primary production industry organisations, the Queensland Farmers’ Federation and the Regional Groups Collective to raise awareness of the need for land management changes.
The Ministers said that land managers and landholders are also being supported to manage stock access to waterways, to prevent stock from trampling river banks and helping to reverse instability and erosion.
For more information visit www.nrm.gov.au
Projects funded for 2008-09 under Reef Rescue
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM: $3,546,300
The Burdekin regional body has developed an investment strategy which will improve water quality in the coastal areas of the Burdekin catchment and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area through supporting farmers to accelerate their adoption of sustainable grazing, horticultural and sugar cane land management practices. Projects will utilise strong, effective and efficient collaborations between the region and industry delivery partners to engage regional farmers in Reef Rescue. Wetlands in the Burdekin region are also set to benefit from the investment through improved wetland management practices on private lands in order to increase the catchment’s capacity to reduce the amounts of nutrients, chemicals and sediments from entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Burnett Mary Regional Group: $3,063,000
The Burnett Mary regional group has developed an investment strategy which will improve water quality in priority coastal areas, such as the Kolan, Burrum and Mary river catchments, and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. This will be achieved through supporting farmers to accelerate their adoption of sustainable grazing, horticulture, dairy and sugar cane production practices. Projects will utilise strong, effective and efficient collaborations between the region and industry delivery partners to engage regional farmers in Reef Rescue. Regional land managers are set to benefit from the investment through support for farmers to undertake risk assessments, on-ground works and multi-farm projects. A focus of the region is sugarcane which will target activities that result in the reduction in nutrients and chemicals reaching the Great Barrier Reef lagoon
Fitzroy Basin Association: $3,611,654
The Fitzroy Basin Association has developed an investment strategy which will improve water quality in the coastal areas of the Fitzroy catchment and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area through supporting farmers to accelerate their adoption of sustainable grazing, dry land and irrigated cropping, and horticulture production. Projects will be delivered in combination with industry support to engage regional farmers in Reef Rescue in the first year. Regional land managers are set to benefit from the investment through support for farmers to undertake risk assessments, on-ground works and multi-farm projects. A focus for the region is grazing and cropping which will target activities that result in the reduction in sediment reaching the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Reef Catchments (Mackay / Whitsunday): $5,808,124
Reef Catchments has developed an investment strategy which will improve water quality in the regional priority sub-catchments identified in the recent Water Quality Improvement Plan to improve water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Projects will utilise strong, effective and efficient collaborations between the region and industry delivery partners to engage regional farmers in Reef Rescue. Regional land managers are set to benefit from the investment through support for farmers to undertake risk assessments, on-ground works and multi-farm projects. A focus for the region is lands under sugar cane production which will target activities that result in the reduction in nutrients, chemicals and sediments reaching the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Terrain Natural Resource Management (Wet Tropics): $6,804,650
Terrain Natural Resource Management has developed an investment strategy which will improve water quality in priority river catchments and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area through supporting farmers to accelerate their adoption of sustainable horticulture, grazing, dairy and sugar cane production practices. Projects will utilise strong, effective and efficient collaborations between the Region and industry delivery partners to engage regional farmers in Reef Rescue. Regional land managers are set to benefit from the investment through support to undertake risk assessments, on-ground works and multi-farm collaborative projects. Sugar cane farmers and horticultural growers are a special focus for research and development investment through the funding of trials for innovative practices such as nitrogen fixation and nitrogen replacement systems in sugarcane and establishing optimum phosphorus and nitrogen application rates for paw paw production.