The state government says it remains committed to fixing the prickly acacia crisis in Queensland despite reneging on a deal earlier this year to fund an eradication program for the weed.
Prickly acacia is a highly-invasive, thorny African weed brought to Australia as a shade and fodder tree but has since become an ecological disaster.
It strips land productivity by causing erosion, decreasing pasture and out-competing other native vegetation for water, and transforms natural grasslands into desolate thorny scrub.
In March the Queensland and federal governments agreed to put $5 million each to the problem but the state did not stump up their share in the budget that followed.
In July Agriculture Minister Mark Furner would only say they were writing to the new Federal Agriculture Minister, Senator Bridget McKenzie, about the matter.
After Traeger MP Robbie Katter said the state government was ignoring prickly acacia, the government defended its actions.
A spokesman for agriculture minister Mark Furner told the North West Star the Palaszczuk Government was supporting the control of prickly acacia through the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative.
"Over $2.7 million in grant funding has been provided through the QFPI for prickly acacia management projects delivered locally by Desert Channels Queensland and the Southern Gulf NRM," the spokesperson said.
"I welcome Senator McKenzie's decision to honour the original funding arrangement and continue to await her final advice on how she wishes to proceed. But I can assure you that I remain committed to assisting landholders in managing this significant issue and I remain committed to ensuring that funding is provided in a way that benefits all Queenslanders."
Mr Katter said $2.7m was nowhere near enough and the government was sitting idle while prickly acacia was destroying the north and mid-west plains.
"The most current estimates we have say prickly acacia is costing our agricultural industries more than $4 billion dollars a year in costs and lost productivity, with the most affected area the Mitchell Grass Downs region in central Queensland," Mr Katter said.
"Prickly acacia infestation has increased from around 6.6 million hectares 20 years ago to around 33 million hectares today - it's a cancer in the bush."
The problem has been worsened by the February floods with Desert Channels Queensland saying a million square metres of top soil had been washed down the Diamantina, which had carried the weed seed over a much larger area.
He said the problem was worst in the Gulf region and the Palaszczuk Government had given $3.5 billion to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation compared to the $2.7 million on prickly acacia.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
