Whole of Nanango Electorate now drought declared
Following my calls for an early consideration of the drought status of our region, the Minister for Agriculture has declared the South Burnett and Somerset officially in-drought. With the Toowoomba and Western Downs region also still in drought, this means the whole Nanango Electorate is now drought declared. I would encourage primary producers to consider the
assistance now available under these declarations. In Parliament this month I also questioned the process around drought declarations. While I understand primary producers can apply for an Individually Drought Property, I have received many calls about how and why some of our region’s drought status was revoked in early 2016. On 15th September 2016, I asked a Question on Notice to the then Minister for Agriculture about our local South Burnett Drought Committee and how it works. The response noted that details of membership and minutes of meetings are confidential to protect the member's identities, given the sensitive nature of their tasks and decisions. However, it leaves primary producers in the dark over how decisions about drought are made. These decisions impact upon thousands of small businesses. It effects their daily operations, future business decisions and of course, their bottom line. I’m calling for more transparency when it comes to the Drought Committees and their decisions. Click here to see my
speech on this issue.
Beekeepers finally recognised as
'primary producers'
Late last year I was approached by a beekeeper from Kumbia who explained that beekeepers were not recognised as primary producers by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. This meant they missed out on certain concessions, especially when registering their trucks. The LNP’s Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Dale Last, wrote to the Agriculture Minister on behalf of the Queensland Beekeepers’ Association asking that beekeepers be recognised as primary producers for the purposes of concessional vehicle registration. In a letter from the Minister, it has been acknowledged that beekeepers do in fact produce food and were entitled to primary producer concessions. It is good to see that common sense has prevailed. I’d also like to congratulate Members of the Queensland Beekeepers Association who worked hard to help initiate this change.
Redistribution of Electorate Boundaries
Recently the Electoral Commission of Queensland announced a draft for new state electorate boundaries. Here is a link to the proposed new boundaries for the
Nanango Electorate.
Coopers Gap Wind Farm EIS
I welcome the release of the
Coordinator-General’s report on the Coopers Gap Wind Farm Environmental Impact Study. As I’ve consistently said since I was first elected in 2012, should this project go ahead it could create up to 350 construction jobs and ongoing employment for up to 20 people in the region. I am pleased that my push for jobs to be offered to local people has been successful. The EIS notes that during the construction phase, AGL has committed to maximising local employment and local contractors. They have also committed to a local ongoing workforce, which means one full-time job for every four to six wind turbines. My next push will be for the full-time jobs to be based in the South Burnett and I will be making this clear to AGL during future discussions.
In regards to noise levels, I have always said this was a concern, especially for those people who will be neighbours to the wind farm. The Coordinator-General notes that some submissions to the EIS process also raised these concerns and he has stated conditions for AGL to meet. These include that AGL must provide an updated noise impact assessment prior to construction to confirm the noise modelling they have presented in the EIS. There must also be a noise monitoring plan for approval prior to construction to demonstrate that the wind farm will operate in compliance with the noise limits. A further stated condition is for noise monitoring to be undertaken at 3 months and again at 12 months following the wind farm being fully operational.
Roadworks for D'Aguilar
Great to see the announcement of two projects to help improve safety on the D’Aguilar Highway near Kilcoy. The first set of works, just west of Kilcoy, started last this week to remove roadside hazards along the highway and these works will continue throughout the year. The second set of works is further down the Highway where a major upgrade of the intersection with Mary Smokes Creek Road, Royston will be undertaken. This intersection has a high crash rate and the works will include a dedicated right turn lane onto the Highway, widening the road shoulder and removing some vegetation to increase visibility. These roadworks will start in mid-2017 and take about one month to complete.
LNP delivers important laws in Parliament
Despite working from Opposition, the LNP are proud to have achieved two key reforms in Parliament this month.
1. Bail (Domestic Violence) and Another Act Amendment Bill 2017:
- Reversing the presumption for bail in domestic violence-related crimes such as assault, grievous bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, strangulation and kidnapping. Passed
- The DV Alert system will notify victims and families when someone with a DVO is being considered for parole, even if the reason they are in prison is not related to domestic violence. Passed
- Introducing urgent appeal rights to the bail application process, meaning bail decisions will be stayed for up to three business days and referred to a higher court for urgent review. Passed
- Allowing GPS trackers to be fitted to an alleged offender as a bail condition by the court to ensure that victims of crime are better protected throughout the trial process, which can be lengthy. Passed
2. Establishment of a Farm Debt Reconstruction Office
- The new office will tackle farm debt head-on and help farmers find a way forward.
- Provide an efficient and equitable resolution of farm business debt matters between mortgagees and farmers
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Deb Frecklington,
Member for Nanango
'Delivering for
our Regional Communities'
