Proponents of agricultural projects in the north of Queensland will now be able to call on the assistance of Department of Agriculture regional directors to help them navigate approvals processes.
Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said it was important that those who wanted to invest in agriculture in the north of the state were given every assistance.
“From today that includes access to the appropriate DAF regional director who will act as the main liaison with the proponent,” the Minister said.
“We want to simplify the process for potential investors and that is why we have launched a one-stop on-line service designed for proponents of small to medium-sized agricultural developments.
“We want to give those smaller to medium size agricultural projects that aren’t big enough to get coordinated status a helping hand to get them up and running.
“The web portal is a ready reference to all the information people need to know about developing or expanding an agriculture business in Queensland, and if they need additional assistance they can directly call on the regional director to provide it.”
The portal is a single link to planning and development material, mapping tools and information on how proponents can ensure their projects fits in with the government’s vision of sustainable development.
Clients will have a single point of contact to help them through the various government processes necessary for agricultural expansion, diversification and developing new products.
“The aim of the one-stop service is to provide everything required to turn plans into active projects that create jobs,” the Minister said.
“The Palaszczuk Government recognises the importance of agriculture to our economy and regional communities and is committed to supporting the growth of a productive and prosperous food and fibre sector.”
Minister Byrne said interest in investing in north Queensland agriculture was high and that the rural and regional economy was underpinned by agribusiness.
“Our government is committed to making Queensland an attractive place to do business and agribusiness investment allows prosperity and employment to flow to our regional and rural areas,” he said.
Within the next six months the portal will be upgraded to include a decision making pathway.
“A key activity in the development of the initial stage of the portal has been the input of the northern agribusiness community, and we thank them for the time they have taken out of their busy schedules to meet with us and offer their suggestions. DAF officers will also be also be speaking with further stakeholders and interagency partners over the next few months.”
The portal can be found at www.daf.qld.gov.au/onestopservice
