Queensland Government slams Defence plans for compulsory acquisition of graziers' land
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The Queensland Government has condemned Federal Government plans to compulsorily acquire its properties for the expansion of a military base in the region.
The Defence Department is aiming to take over a number of prime cattle properties around Shoalwater Bay, near Rockhampton in central Queensland.
But the Queensland Government is calling for the Commonwealth to find alternatives to the proposal.
Queensland Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said his Government was not made aware of the extent of land required under the deal, and that it would devastate the beef industry in the state.
"[The Defence Department] has tried to hide behind the this shiny bauble of $1 million into regional Queensland economies," he said.
"Fundamentally it appears for construction work and property acquisitions at the expense of potentially taking 100,000 cattle out of the Queensland beef sector.
"You're theoretically pulling out $100 million worth of cattle production out of Queensland for the sake of a short-term boost."
About 50 graziers, some of whom have been on the land for generations, have received notices their land may be compulsorily acquired by the Federal Government.
The land is needed as part of Australian Defence Force plans to accommodate more than 14,000 Singaporean troops who will train in the region.
The Queensland Government has also accused Defence Minister Marise Payne of not being completely transparent about the extent of land resumptions.
"Most disturbing is the deliberate deception in the way in which I look at it," Mr Byrne said.
"[The Defence Department] haven't been open and honest since day one, and when they finally decide to be honest they send a letter to graziers."
Farmers oppose land acquisition
The National Farmers Federation also strongly opposes the move, arguing that forcing farmers off productive land is unfair.
"This is very productive agricultural land, it is an integral part of the beef supply chain," chief executive Tony Mahar said.
"Take it out of the equation and we've got up to 60,000 head of cattle that would have to go somewhere else and would just have such an impact on not only those communities but the broader big supply chain in Australia.
"It's really disappointing and disconcerting to the farmers in that area that the Government thinks they can just waltz in and take it out from underneath them."
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has requested that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull host the first COAG meeting of the year in Rockhampton so he can see first hand the effect compulsory land acquisitions would have on graziers.
"The Federal Government has gone through, acquired land without consulting the local people," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"It's not good enough and I want to hear first hand from those cattle producers what they think of the Federal Government's decision."
Defence Ms Payne was not available for interview, but issued a statement saying the Defence Department was yet to finalise a deal.
"Our agreement with Singapore will bring significant economic benefits to the Townsville and Rockhampton regions and provide enhanced training facilities for the Australian Defence Force," the statement read.
'It's been crafted and manipulated'
But Mr Byrne said the process had been handled appallingly.
"It's been crafted and manipulated for an electoral purpose — the level of transparency has been appalling from the Federal Government," he said.
"I don't know whether it's a deliberate conspiracy or it's just ineptitude — probably the second.
"Every time I hear a federal politician talk about the national interest, you can be sure of one thing — it's not in the community's interest."
Topics: defence-forces, rural, beef-cattle, community-development, agribusiness, federal---state-issues, activism-and-lobbying, shoalwater-4702, rockhampton-4700, qld, australia
