Several staff from the Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) travelled to the Remote Area Planning and Development Board region last week to look into whether triple bottom line benefits are being delivered by federal government funding to build cluster fences.
The group, made up of DAWR graduates spent their time in Barcaldine and Blackall with RAPAD cluster participants and talking to them directly about the effectiveness of the funding model, whether additional benefits have come from fencing such as improved relationships with neighbours and money coming into communities, and whether fencing was an effective model of control.
They were also asked if there were any disadvantages to cluster fencing.
RAPAD’s special projects officer Morgan Gronold said the group was keen to hear people’s perspectives of the fences, good or bad.
“The question they were trying to answer was, is federal government funding to build cluster fences providing triple bottom line benefits.
“It was fantastic opportunity to host the group in the RAPAD region and let them hear about the fences directly from landholders themselves.”
The group will take the information gathered from each producer and develop a presentation based on their findings to senior staff at the department later in the year.
It saw a number of producers from across the central west including Barcaldine’s David Counsell, Dunblane, Chris Egerton, Hanley, Paul Donely, Dunraven, and Ben Chandler from Gregory Park, along with Blackall landholder Gary Hauff, Granby.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
