Government and graziers join forces to clean up Moreton Bay

The Queensland Government will team up with graziers to improve South-east Queensland’s water quality by introducing a $2.3 million Grazing Best Management Practice Program and Healthy Country Program.

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles announced the initiative today (18 January 2016) on behalf of the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP), SEQ Catchments and AgForce.

Dr Miles said both best practice grazing and riverbank and gully restoration were key components to reducing sediment and nutrient runoff that ends up in our waterways and Moreton Bay.

“The Healthy Country Program, funded by EHP, is about the Palaszczuk Government and graziers working together to make a real difference to water quality in Moreton Bay, home to some of South-east Queensland’s most precious marine habitat,” Dr Miles said.

“The program includes on-groundworks such as reshaping and replanting native vegetation along SEQ Catchments in Laidley Creek and the Bremer River to reduce sediment loads upstream of Moreton Bay, keeping valuable and productive soil on farmland where it belongs and minimising flooding impacts for landholders.

“Laidley Creek, in the Lockyer Valley, has become degraded due to vegetation clearing and flooding to the point where its banks have become unstable and covered in weeds.

“Because the creek is beside valuable horticultural land heavy rainfall is pushing lots of sediment and nutrient runoff into the creek and then the Brisbane River and, ultimately, Moreton Bay.”

Dr Miles said the implementation of grazing best management practices in south-east Queensland built on the success of the Grazing BMP program in Great Barrier Reef catchments.

“The Fitzroy Basin Association has been funded by EHP to work with SEQ Catchments Limited and State-wide coordinator AgForce to implement grazing best practice across south-east Queensland to improve enterprise profitability and sustainability.

AgForce Grazing BMP program Industry-Coordinator Mick Taylor said the roll-out of the voluntary Grazing BMP program is a great opportunity for graziers to join the future of beef production in Queensland to improve productivity and reduced soil run-off to waterways.

SEQ Catchments CEO Simon Warner congratulated the Queensland Government for playing a key role in helping to get much needed money for on ground works to improve south-east Queensland water quality.

“EHP’s willingness to embrace new and innovative solutions to sediment and nutrient management has opened up new and potentially game changing levels of investment into improving water quality in the catchments of SEQ and potentially elsewhere in Queensland.

“Linking with EHP’s investment in land management through its Grazing BMP program and funding for works under the Healthy Country Program, SEQ Catchments is making good headway in the Laidley and other key catchments to improve flood resilience, protect agricultural land and improve water quality,” Mr Warner said.

ENDS

Media contact: Katharine Wright 0422 580 342