IRRIGATION is again set to be a bone of contention as stakeholders respond to the state government's announcement of a fresh approach to the sustainable usage of western Queensland rivers.
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Mines and Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps visited Longreach in November and announced that he would scrap Wild Rivers declarations in the Lake Eyre Basin and develop an alternative management plan, which could include small-scale irrigation.
The Western Rivers Advisory Panel (WRAP) has been set up to help develop strategies "that strike an effective balance between river protection and sustainable development for Cooper Creek and the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers", according to Mr Cripps.
AgForce's WRAP representative John te Kloot told a recent gathering of members in Longreach that it was up to members to bring forth the values they wanted to form the new framework.
Debate centred on the pros and cons of irrigation, which has been a controversial issue since plans for large-scale extraction for a cotton farm at Windorah were knocked on the head in the mid-1990s.
Mr te Kloot said he believed most people in the region wanted the rivers to flow.
"That doesn't mean people don't want some irrigation, but there's a recognition that the Channel Country must get water," he said.
"People also recognise that we have a national icon in Lake Eyre at the end of our system."
Julie Groves, who owns property at the junction of the Barcoo and Thomson Rivers above Windorah, said people in the region had to be economically viable.
"Our family has lived in this area for 100 years and the rivers have provided them with the economy to improve their country," she said.
"If we lock it up the next generation won't be able to make use of any new ideas that might come along.
"Surely we're not going to do the same things over and over. Don't just say no when the water could enhance our economic viability."
She agreed that a set of guidelines could be established for a 10-year timeframe.
Duncan Emmott of Longreach questioned the sense of putting economics first, saying that one only had to look at the Murray Darling Basin to see what happened under that scenario.
"It's all very well to say we want balance, but perceptions of balance are very different for different people."
Stonehenge grazier and Cooper Creek Catchment Committee representative Leonie Nunn said she would hate to see irrigation on the system.
"I have lived on the bottom end and I know how few times it ran," she said. "If irrigation starts, where does it stop?"
Longreach naturalist and grazier Angus Emmott believed that if small amounts of irrigation were made available, the amount would grow over time.
"This is what's happened all over the world," he said. "Are you going to subsidise the people for that loss?"
He claimed the issue had the potential to divide communities but Mr te Kloot refuted that, stating that AgForce had maintained a lot of goodwill.
"I am aware opinions will vary," he said. "We've got to cover issues from Innaminka to Torrens Creek and from Tambo to Camooweal. We need to get a compromise that's best for the rivers."
Issues of introduced species, invasive timber and mining were also brought forward at the meeting.
AgForce has just released a short survey to find out what natural values people want protected for the future and what developments people think should be allowed or prevented, so that a collective view can be taken to the WRAP.
"This is an opportunity people must not miss," Mr te Kloot said. "The Minister has asked for an indicative draft by March."
