Anti-acquisition steering committee suggests defence land alternatives

Around 23 families received news at the beginning of December that their land, around 200,000ha in total, was under consideration for defence expansion plans as part of a $2.5 billion Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Bob Hicks from Mirambeena is a member of the steering committee that has been set up to fight the acquisitions and he said they were presenting good, viable options that wouldn’t mean giving up quality country and stifling development.

One proposal is to acquire country already for sale south of Pentland, approximately 300,000ha owned by one family, which Bob said would have a less detrimental effect on Charters Towers but would still provide good input to Townsville.

“I don’t think these places were fully considered when they first started this,” Bob said.

He’s willing to offer up his breeder property, Lucky Springs, at Greenvale, along with the Atkinson family’s Wade Station, which was passed in for $5.2m at auction in May, as a second alternative.

The two total approximately 100,000ha, half the size under consideration by the Defence department near Townsville, but Bob said he would sacrifice his breeder country to save his bullock country.

“I can replace my breeder country,” he said. “We’re not opposing the Singapore deal and we welcome the investment. We’re just against them taking good country when viable options are being put to them.”

He added that the land currently under consideration by the defence department was tightly held because it was such productive fattening country.

Public meeting set for Charters Towers

The issue will be debated at a Not for Acquisition public meeting at the Charters Towers Dalrympe Saleyards at 5.30pm on Wednesday, described as “a community show of force against the Australian Defence Force land grab”.

Bob, who was expecting a big roll-up, said it would be important for business to have their say as well.

“The area runs a lot of cattle and supports specialist cattle carters, stockfeed merchants, and musterers.

“Supermarkets will be affected if they’re gone, and it even comes back to mailmen with no run left.”

The meeting takes place in the wake of the defence department one-on-one sessions being conducted this week with affected people in the Townsville and Charters Towers regions, and Bob said it was needed to give people a voice.

“Government is listening” – Senator Canavan

Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Matt Canavan, who has been in the Townsville and Charters Towers regions over the last few days, said the government was trying to make sure that what it did in defence investments didn’t foreclose on agricultural opportunities.

“I’m confident we can do that,” he said. “Defence has made a decision that they want to expand and I can only support their need in defence of the nation, but I think we can come forward with a solution that satisfies people.”

He said he had received assurances from the department that they would look at the so-called Pentland option.

“Defence will provide advice on how that fits in with their plans,” he said.

Senator Canavan said he had discussed business opportunities with Charters Towers councillors, and projects such as the $20m Big Rocks Weir, which there was now heightened interest in.

He expected the defence department would consider the impact their expansion was likely to have on plans for water projects, saying there would be a social impact study on the effect of the acquisitions, which he would hold them to account over.

He said a liaison office for the whole region had been established in Townsville last Friday, which would connect with Charters Towers businesses, to ensure they benefited from defence force contracting.

“Too often local business has been locked out, and this is our response.

“Defence needs to get better at this, for taxpayers dollars too.”

Senator Canavan said he didn’t want to go down the path of making decisions behind closed doors, but encouraged people to get all the facts.

“The government is aware of the anxiety people are experiencing and we want to help people through it.

“The message is, we are genuinely listening.”