APPARENT contradictions in the release of additional water entitlements under the state government's amended Gulf Water Resource Plan have been highlighted by opposition natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps.
Amendments to the plan provide for general unallocated water reserves of 239,650 megalitres in the Flinders River catchment and 467,000ML in the Gilbert River catchment.
As well, smaller releases of 8500 ML in the Flinders and 17,000ML in the Gilbert are available for projects that advance social and economic aspirations of indigenous people.
However, the Gilbert River catchment reserves will not be made available until after the environmental impact assessment process for the proposed Integrated Food and Energy Development project has been completed.
During budget estimate hearings in Brisbane last week, Mr Cripps drew attention to what he described as "a mess" from contradictory processes for two major greenfield irrigation projects in the Flinders and Gilbert River catchments.
Mr Cripps said Labor had allowed an EIS process for the proposed Three Rivers irrigation project to go ahead in the Flinders catchment at the same time as the release of almost 250,000 megalitres of water for competitive tender, likely to occur later this year.
"However the government has halted the release of almost half a million megalitres of water in the Gilbert catchment until the current EIS process for the proposed IFED project has been completed - a position that is totally inconsistent," he said.
"Despite a live EIS process being underway, Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham confirmed the proponents of the Three Rivers project would be competing with other potential users when the water was released in the Flinders catchment later this year.
"There is now a contradictory situation in the Gilbert catchment, where he has determined that potential water users will be denied the opportunity to access additional water until after the IFED EIS has been completed. Why is it that water can be released in the Flinders at the same time (that) a co-ordinated project is undertaking an EIS, while the release of water in the Gilbert has been suspended pending the finalisation of an EIS for another coordinated project?"
Mr Cripps said both proposed water releases for the Flinders and Gilbert River catchments and both EIS processes for the Three River and IFED projects were located in the area covered by the Gulf Water Resources Plan, which the former LNP government had reviewed in 2014.
"Minister Lynham could not explain why the government had two different positions regarding the release of unallocated water in catchments that had concurrent EIS processes underway, despite both of them being within a single water resource planning area," he said.
"He has made a complete mess of the water planning in the Gulf and Flinders catchments and potential water users in the region will be wondering if they can have confidence in the process while it is being run by the Palaszczuk Labor Government, which is making it up as it goes along."
Katter's Australian Party is also dismissive of the amended Gulf Water Resource Plan, calling it "corporate farming". KAP leader and Kennedy MP Bob Katter said Gulf and mid-west people would not stand by and allow water resources to be allocated to corporate farming.
"Whilst we welcome the minister's positive comments on water development, there is no way in the world we're going to stand aside and see all our water given to corporations," he said.
"Scams galore, in the way of the Cubbie Station type now owned by the Chinese, are the way of the future."
"The only prominent names in the current IFED proposal were both involved with Cubbie Station when it was sold.
"We need to get out of our corporate thinking and start looking after the people of Australia, instead of the globalist corporate models.
"The minister I think will do the right thing, but he has to understand that to date the corporate and environmentalist cart has been put in front of the interests of the people that live in the gulf.
"The benefits of irrigation should flow to everyone that lives in these areas, the townies, the contractors, the workers, the cattlemen and it seems to me the three corporate proposals deliver no benefit to any of those people," Mr Katter said.
