Election pledges in the spotlight All eyes are now on returned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to see if she makes good on the promises made during the Queensland election campaign. Those promises include $20 million in upgrades to the Mount Lindesay Highway and a $1 billion pipeline of train manufacturing to be based in Maryborough. The government also pledged to crack down on land clearing, and pledged $30 million to reward landholders and primary producers for reducing emissions through a land restoration fund. In a move of particular importance for growers, Labor has pledged to invest $50 million to reduce irrigation water bills by at least 15% for all irrigators, with fruit and vegetable growers set to receive a 50% cut to their irrigation water charges. Price drops are expected to start from 1 July 2021. Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister, Anthony Lynham, said the decision would make a real difference for Queensland farmers. “For our fruit and veg growers, it means increased productivity and profitability, and more jobs on their farms,” he said. Growcom CEO, Stephen Barnard, said it was pleasing to see a focus on expanding the production of fruits, vegetables and nuts, given the enormous number of jobs these industries create in rural and regional Queensland. “We are excited by the commitment from a returned Palaszczuk Government of a 50% cut to the price of water over three years where fruits, vegetables and nuts are being produced,” Mr Barnard said. “This commitment will come as welcome relief to some growers, and for many more it will create a great deal of optimism. For the first time in a long while growers on irrigation schemes will be considering expanding their operations.” Another election pledge crucial to rural and regional areas is the promise to build a new highway, inland through Queensland from Charters Towers to the NSW border, to reduce trucks on the Bruce Highway. The $200 million election pledge requires the federal government to chip in an additional $800 million for the
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FRESH SOURCE
Summer 2020
And the winner is: Annastacia Palaszczuk has won a third term as Queensland’s Premier.
project. The funding would also include the upgrade of roads and bridges between Townsville and Roma to support heavy vehicles on the inland route. According to Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, the upgraded freight route would allow an alternative when the Bruce Highway was cut off during extreme weather events and shave “four to five hours” off a trip to Melbourne. “The Queensland Trucking Association and RACQ have advocated strongly for this because they know it makes economic sense,” he said.
