TIRED road infrastructure, a need for transparency in the red meat processing industry and an urgent need for more professional mental health workers have been the main topics aired at a meeting of the Gulf Cattlemen's Association (GCA) at Normanton.
President Barry Hughes said the group was still in its fledgling stage and ensuring its foundations were right before it expanded from its Georgetown-Croydon roots but was acutely aware of needs of grazing enterprises across the region.
The Normanton meeting was a tentative stretching of the wings and could be followed up with others at Mareeba and in the Flinders region.
Much of the Normanton debate centred on concerns about ongoing mental health issues.
"People are a long way from out of the woods with financial pressures," Barry said. "Normanton is in the same position as us as far as that."
Questions were asked about a service by Cairns psychologist Crispian Jones - an initiative of the Etheridge shire - to have a professional on the ground for one week a month, which has been taking place for the last 18 months.
"He's saving lives with what he's doing," Barry said. "He goes to homes and properties, removing any stigma. We have to make sure it continues." He said it was important to keep it on the agenda to ensure governments continued its service roll-out, adding there were shortfalls in delivery.
GCA would keep an eye on federal health changes from Medicare Local funding to primary health networks to ensure funding would be guaranteed. The organisation had a happier outlook on road funding, thanks to recent announcements of the $100m beef roads initiative and $600m in the northern Australia white paper, but had concerns about the capacity of existing roads to cope with increased traffic volumes.
"Some of our existing infrastructure is struggling now," Barry said.
"The life of some roads has been exceeded by 20 years. It's not going to handle increased volumes."
In some cases, there are 50km stretches of 2.4m wide bitumen.
A spokesman for Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss said funding priorities would be identified through close stakeholder consultation "to identify investment and reform priorities for the northern beef industry".
He was unable to say whether this would include repairs to existing infrastructure, only that CSIRO's TRANSIT evaluation tool would inform the work to be done.
"As with the Beef Roads Fund, the Australian government will work closely with jurisdictions in setting priorities," the spokesman said.
The Cattlemen's Association is also concerned that bureaucratic processes will erode the dollars put towards the road projects.
"We need to monitor scoping studies and the like; they've been done to the hilt," Barry said.
GCA ON THE AGENDA
Normanton cattlemen were told the GCA submission to the Senate red meat processing inquiry would be ready for submission by the end of June.
Barry said it had been a welcome opportunity, "following a series of events that's resulted in a northern beef market that lacks fair competition, fair practices and transparency".
Issues such as the consolidation of large processing facilities, a reduction in service kill facilities, market monopolisations and changed market practices are the expected topics discussed.
Barry said the encouragement of new abattoirs and regulations for boutique abattoirs that fit the purpose were some of the solutions they would put forward.
"From and industry point of view, we've also got to educate cattlemen to embrace technology to market their product, either via existing means or new ones.
"Transparency is the word that jumps out."
