Palaszczuk government continues exclusion fencing program with $5m grant

Visiting Barcaldine, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new funding through the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative supported jobs and economic activity in the region as part of her government's COVID-19 Unite and Recover Queensland Jobs plan.

"This is an investment to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of Queensland's rural areas, their industries and communities," Ms Palaszczuk said. "Fencing construction provides vital support to the western Queensland community to manage feral pests, the economic impact of COVID-19, ongoing drought and structural rural decline."

Barcaldine Regional Council mayor Sean Dillon gave the initiative his thumbs up, describing it as a massive continued show of faith in western Queensland.

"The multiplier effect of this announcement benefits not only immediate construction but the economic enabler moving forward is comparative to the rail line coming through a century ago," he said. "It really is that significant."

Also speaking favourably about it was Barcaldine grazier David Counsell, who hosted the Premier and her entourage on his property, Dunblane for the morning.

"These dollars are not just for us sheep farmers; they're a co-investment in our communities," he said.

"It's all about jobs because sheep enterprises are labour intensive.

"I'm very happy to hear there's further investment in fencing because I just know what it's going for do to all our communities."

The $5 million grants program will be delivered over four years, with additional funding to come from landholders, and is anticipated to create 55 new local jobs for central west and south west Queensland.

It's understood the funding will be shared between the south west and the central west, and RAPAD will be putting its hand up again to deliver the project in the central west region.

The state government has committed $19.74 million in the past three years to assist regional communities with the construction of cluster fences and the control of weeds and pest animals.

Minister for Agriculture Mark Furner said the first two rounds of the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative protected more than 400 sheep-producing properties with almost 7000 kilometres of fencing built.

"Initial data from the Remote Area Planning and Development Board indicates this investment created 70 new jobs and a gross regional income of $63 million," Mr Furner said.

Cr Dillon commented that the increase in sheep numbers and extra jobs had happened against a background of a raging drought.

"We've still seen some sort of production happen because of the elimination of wild dogs from within those clusters," he said.

The push to begin fencing susceptible sheep-producing parts of Queensland from wild dog attacks began in April 2013 when then-Premier Campbell Newman provided $30,000 for a feasibility study into the idea.

The initiative gained momentum in 2014 when his government signed off of an agreement with Canberra that delivered an extra $5.6 million for pest animal control in drought-affected areas of Queensland for 2013-14 and 2014-15, on the back of increasing woolgrower desperation.

Then in 2016 Ms Palaszczuk visited Dunblane for the first time to announce $5m for wild dog cluster fencing, plus the appointment of fencing commissioners Vaughan Johnson and Mark O'Brien.

She said on Wednesday that her government had listened then and was listening now, as ongoing fence funding was something people had been raising with her.

"We've listened and we will continue to deliver," she said.

"The sheep industry is back and we want to help continue to support communities out here.

"It means more jobs and I think it's a key investment, because what we've seen over the last five years is a complete turnaround in the sheep industry in this state."

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