Communities feeling the ongoing effect of wild dog predation are anticipating a much-heralded announcement from the state government this week on where the $5m announced for cluster fencing at the start of May will be spent.
Since making the announcement on Labour Day in Barcaldine, there has been silence from the government and it has seen affected people become increasingly agitated.
It’s a concern that was taken up by federal Member for Maranoa, David Littleproud, in the wake of the recent federal announcement of an additional $2m for pest management in Queensland.
He called on the Palaszczuk government to not only come to the table and match that contribution but to finally put the long-promised $5 million on the table.
“Last year the federal government committed to and delivered $10 million to building dog fences in Queensland from a $15 million national pest management allocation - and it’s fantastic to see that our investment is already delivering in terms of the returns to farmers, diversification opportunities, environmental benefits and increasing employment in rural communities,” Mr Littleproud said.
“However the reality is there’s a lot more work to be done to dog-proof the affected parts of Queensland and further investment is crucial.
“When you consider that regional councils like Quilpie, Western Downs and Maranoa almost double the GDP contributions of Brisbane as a result of strong agricultural sector performance – and that’s despite the challenging drought conditions - the state government’s inaction to invest money in a program that actually delivers for Queensland completely baffles me.”
The Labour Day announcement by Ms Palaszczuk in Barcaldine was accompanied by the appointment of former Member for Gregory, Vaughan Johnson, and South West NRM chair Mark O’Brien as fencing commissioners, who she said would “look closely at where the money is allocated and where the need is”.