Barcaldine grazier Ben Chandler was amongst those welcoming the announcement of another $5m for exclusion fencing from the state government on the weekend.
Last Friday he and six other property owners submitted an application to the Remote Area Planning and Development Board for 104km of fencing, one of 34 applications.
“Up to now we’ve been paying for our fencing ourselves, but it’s a very expensive habit,” he said. “Three or four years of drought is making it tougher for many, so clustering and sharing with neighbours helps.”
He said the “jury was out” on the idea of fence commissioners and he didn’t necessarily agree with comments on standards.
“The six foot fence idea – for every metre out of the ground, you need half of that in the ground, and the higher it is, the more likely it is to fall over,” he said.
He and his family are using gidyea posts and say they won’t rust or bend.
“They’re an available resource so we thought we may as well use them,” Ben said.
