The announcement that Greenvale will be where the new military training area will be established has been given the thumbs up by the Charters Towers Regional Council mayor, Liz Schmidt.
Cr Schmidt said the decision could well be better for the Charters Towers region than the original proposal to expand the Townsville Field Training Area, a 230,000ha Australian Defence Force live-firing range 50km west of Townsville.
“Expanding the TFTA would have meant most of the work would have gone back to Townsville – this result means they will go through us, and to us,” she said.
News that contracts with willing sellers in the Greenvale region had been exchanged comes two years after the intense two-month campaign waged by landholders in the Charters Towers and Marlborough regions when the federal government announced at the end of 2016 that it was forcibly acquiring land in both areas for the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative.
In early February 2017 then-defence minister, Marise Payne, backed down with the news that only land from willing sellers would be purchased. It then began seeking out landholders keen to sell in the Greenvale, Ravenswood and Pentland areas.
Assistant defence minister, David Fawcett, said the department had been in negotiations with willing sellers for the past six months.
While the department has said it would not provide details, due to landholder privacy and the commercially sensitive nature of the transactions, the Queensland Country Life understands the new training area will cover around 202,340 hectares south of Greenvale.
Cr Schmidt said the only possible downside of the sales was the loss of rates revenue to the council, up to $250,000 a year, but said a Dotswood Road maintenance agreement had been negotiated with the ADF around the services the council would provide to the army, that should offset any loss.
“We made it clear to Minister Payne that our community couldn’t be negatively impacted,” she said.
“It’s quite a significant slab of country we’re talking about.
“The requirement is that they come and look in our regional council area first for the services and goods and contractors they need, before going elsewhere.
“Our Chamber is working on how that might happen.”
Cr Schmidt said the siting of the land would give military vehicles double road train access between Greenvale and the ADF base at Shoalwater Bay, plus triple road train access from the Port of Townsville.
A plan to hold discussions with the Greenvale community last Monday was postponed when it was felt it could have been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Owen.
Cr Schmidt said it had been rescheduled to mid-January.
“Greenvale is supportive of the move – they just need to know what it is.
“We are working really hard to make sure Defence engages with the community in a way that’s appropriate.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
