Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter is pleased that the Minister for Defence, Christopher Pyne, has responded to his request to open up a section of the Townsville Field Training area for cattle grazing.

Mr Katter has been urging the Minister to agree to his request to help drought-stricken farmers.

Mr Katter said, “We very much appreciate the Government coming around on this and doing it for all the right reasons, and we want to congratulate the people who have been working like a tiger on this issue.

“There is no doubt that it’s been a very dry year, feed is very poor and it will provide some relief. The situation our farmers are in is dire. We need to do everything we possibly can to assist.”

The approval is for 1,100 head of cattle to graze on the area between October 2018 and 1 February 2019. It’s about 60 kilometres southwest of Townsville and was formerly known as Dotswood Station.

Mr Katter also praised the brilliant work of grazier, Jimmy Peterson who has been the driving force behind the campaign to get access to the paddocks.

Mr Katter said, “Few people have had a rougher trot than Jimmy Petersen in the cattle game; it’s a high risk game. For Jimmy to have been one of the people who have fought through and led this, I want to pay him a special congratulations.”

Mr Katter is also calling for farmers to be granted access to National Parks to graze their stock. He has written to the Federal and Queensland Agriculture Ministers, as well as the Queensland Environment Minister to request permits be made available.

Mr Katter said, “This would be a temporary agreement and a solution to a huge issue affecting the welfare of our farmers and animals. Graziers should be allowed use of the National Parks until after the wet season has provided some relief.

“This is a simple way to do what we can to assist and show our support to these farmers experiencing hardship.”

Mr Katter concluded by again raising his campaign to get the Government to embrace water infrastructure projects in North Queensland to help combat drought.

He said, “One can’t help but reflect upon the fact that Hell’s Gates dam (Major) proposal would provide for the feeding of a million ox each year and what that would do for the cattle industry in North Queensland is so obvious. Hughenden and the Charters Towers (Big Rocks) Weir projects are simple and easy and I will be one very agro hombre if work hasn’t started on them in the next couple of months.”

The Department of Defence is handling the expressions of interest from graziers regarding access to the Townsville Field Training area. Applicants must be from drought declared areas of the Townsville and Charters Towers region.

Contact: Domesticleasing.notices@defence.gov.au

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