THE beleaguered northern pastoral sector could be one of the beneficiaries of the state government’s recently released Kimberley conservation strategy, which includes references to relaxing restrictions on the use of grazing leases.
THE beleaguered northern pastoral sector could be one of the beneficiaries of the state government’s recently released Kimberley conservation strategy, which includes references to relaxing restrictions on the use of grazing leases.
Among the detail contained in the state’s Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy released by Premier Colin Barnett and Environment Minister Bill Marmion last week, the government said it wanted to support pastoral lessees to diversify their operations, partly or entirely, into a range of economic development activities.
“This will improve the viability of some pastoral leases, and promote growth in activities such as remote tourism accommodation and facilities,” the strategy documents said.
The government has budgeted to spend $63 million over five years to develop the strategy, which includes adding new national parks and funding indigenous development and tourism in a region twice the size of Victoria but with just 35,000 people.
Pastoralists have been agitating to be allowed to conduct other economic activity on pastoral leases to enable them to broaden their income base.
This, along with longer tenure, would encourage greater investment by leaseholders.
The concept of diversification is already being examined by the state government’s Department of Regional Development, which launched a Rangelands Reform Program discussion paper in April as a first step to a form of deregulation, in addition to considering the duration of leases (typically 20 to 25 years).
The documents relating to the Kimberley strategy added that any proposed diversification would be consistent with conservation outcomes through the Rangelands Reform Program.
For example, it said the strategy needed to ensure that species selected for pastoral diversification through additional agricultural opportunities such as irrigation must have low potential as weeds.
But the potential for future diversification will do nothing to help graziers hit by a federal government ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia after revelations of animal cruelty at backyard abattoirs were aired on the ABC’s Four Corners current affairs program a few weeks ago.
The Kimberley has a vast amount of seasonal water, which makes the region suitable as a giant feedlot, but the extreme nature of its cycle makes many forms of agriculture difficult.
The area also has significant amounts of underground water but most pastoralists are restricted from using those assets for anything beyond providing water for cattle. This can lead to inefficient use of water resources.
Liveringa Pastoral Co, which is part of the Milne AgriGroup, is one Kimberley pastoral player that has used irrigation to become a major hay producer in the region. That is due to a quirk of history that meant that part of the station’s holdings are freehold.
