![Stock route support Stock route support](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2044346.jpg/r0_0_600_400_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
AS drovers find it increasingly difficult to access water on Queensland's stock routes, the state government has announced a cash injection of almost half a million dollars for the 72,000-kilometre network's infrastructure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Facilities from Cloncurry to Goondiwindi and east to the Banana Shire will see money spent on items such as solar panels and pumps, new tanks and de-silting.
Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps announced the $468,000 in capital works funding at the Community Cabinet meeting at Emerald this week, citing drought conditions as reason for the expenditure.
"We recognise the significant usage on the routes at the moment and our maintenance has been crafted to recognise the needs brought about by drought," he said.
"In some places, access to watering points needs to be improved.
"We are trying to maintain their workability."
In May Queensland Country Life reported that thousands of head of cattle on stock routes in the west were facing water shortages, with significant dry stages emerging as facilities that relied on surface water had dried up.
Central Highlands mayor Peter Maguire said his council had spent $42,000 already on staff time in fixing watering points for drovers in his shire and were carting water to some facilities.
His region received $53,000 of the funding, some of it for providing access for large water tankers to six dry facilities.
"We've got 8000 head in our shire at the moment," he said. "We're trying to help these drovers out because a lot of stuff has fallen into disrepair."
He said CHRC had asked for financial reimbursement for this work, and added that it was time for all parties to take a fresh look at the legislation surrounding stock routes.
The Bligh Labor government was due to bring in a new bill with a number of reform measures when it went into caretaker mode last year.
"We get no money from the stock routes, yet we've got to spend money on things in times like this," Cr Maguire said.
"I think it's time we took another look at all this, with current experiences fresh in our minds."
He was supported by AgForce cattle president Howard Smith who said it was time to look at the options after the current drought event had concluded.
"The way it is now is not effective. It's time for a result on this," he said.
He said a review should be looking at mob sizes, especially around the Central Queensland area where traffic volumes had increased and stock routes were getting squeezed by traffic needs.