WATER infrastructure projects to boost agricultural industries and repealing vegetation management laws will be the key platforms of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party as they contest the next Queensland election.
SFF was officially registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission Queensland last week, and state chairman Clem Wheatley said they were keen to contest as many seats as possible in the 2020 election.
Mr Wheatley said capturing water from the Wet Tropics areas in North Queensland to irrigate potential agricultural land was essential to boost productivity and in turn the economy in both rural and urban centres.
“One of the things we want to target is the economy of Queensland,” Mr Wheatley said.
“We see a lot of potential in agriculture and a lot of untapped potential out there, and the way to enhance the production is to get water out to areas that don’t normally have it.”
Mr Wheatley said Alice Springs manged to grow grapes and mangoes as they had access to a good bore and subterranean water .
“We will push for infrastructure that captures water in the Wet Tropics areas in the North to dryer ares.”
Mr Wheatley said a vibrant agricultural sector could breath life back into struggling rural communities.
“A lot of small rural communities over the last decade are slowly dying, they are losing people and services but anywhere agriculture is healthy so is the rest of the community.
“With access to affordable water the limitations are very few to imagine.
“An increase in agricultural production with increase population of those towns, with extra people in the shops and stores, government services and there will be a flow on to areas like Townsville, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Brisbane to service these areas.
“Agriculture has the potential to be our number one economic industry in Queensland.”
Mr Wheatley said they would target red tap and regulations hoping back businesses and industry.
“Vegetation management is one of our number one targets.
“The current native vegetation act is a prime example of one of those laws that has been adopted because it sounds good to attract inner-city votes.
“Despite the claims of Queensland Labor that it is going to save the reef, 75 per cent of the country doesn’t drain into the reef and 25 per cent of clearing is urban development.
“They come down hard on the poor old farmer trying to keep stock alive while a developer can clear a couple of thousand of hectares of prime koala habitat.
“These are agriculture destroying exercises and we will target this draconian legislation.”
Mr Wheatley said the party would target seats throughout Queensland including both rural and urban areas in a bid to hold the balance of power.
“The reality is we are not going to get enough in parliament in our own right as a minor party, but we could hold the balance of power if we have enough support to take the duopoly away from Labor and the LNP.”
Mr Wheatley said the party would be seeking candidates from their own communities, with a good local profile and who understood local issues.
“We’re asking for local communities to put their hands up and we will talk to them.
“We would like to see Queensland get to that stage where we have 20-30 candidates to give people a real choice.”
