Petition calls for multiple rates for Cassowary Coast grazing land

Jason Burzacott runs 300 head of cattle on 178 hectares near Mission Beach, which he says grows tropical pasture that results in his cattle putting on 0.3kg a day.

"My rates are horrendous - they're now almost $20,000 (a year)," he said. "I think I've been complaining about them since I bought the place six years ago."

After a rainy week indoors making comparisons, in which Mr Burzacott stacked rates across Queensland against each other, he determined that the Cassowary Coast Regional Council rate for grazing land was 66 per cent higher than the next highest along the Queensland coast.

He said the core issue was that the council had only one primary production rate category, which he said was geared to the predominant primary production industry, being sugar cane.

"All other LGAs with high rates in the dollar break primary production into multiple rates categories," he said. "Land valuations are locked in but this gives councils the ability to align rates in the dollar to those of peers."

Mr Burzacott's petition is calling for his council to implement multiple primary production rating categories.

Cassowary Coast mayor Mark Nolan hadn't responded to a request for comment at the time of publication, but a 2017 rating review report conducted by AEC Group Ltd for the council compared rating structures for rural/primary production ratepayers applied by selected Queensland councils, saying 12 of the 18 councils they looked at adopted a single category while the other six adopted different categories based on type of production at varying levels.

It gave the examples of Mareeba, which levied a higher rate in the dollar on grazing land, and Burdekin, which applied a higher rate in the dollar on sugar cane land.

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The working group at the time identified that the impost placed on primary production properties was very high when compared to neighbouring shires growing similar commodities and that there should be a move towards addressing the differential in the rate levied compared to commercial and industrial properties.

"It was initially proposed that the contribution from the primary production rating category towards overall rates be reduced from 30 per cent to 25pc," the report says.

"Council specifically requested the group to review the appropriateness of potential separate categories for cattle grazing...but it was indicated that most properties in the region have the capacity to amend use as and when required and that retention of a single category was deemed most appropriate.

"The most significant issue for these assessments is the level of the rate for primary production overall."

Mr Burzacott said the report didn't mention the "reasonable amount of LGAs (who) do have multiple categories".

"Most importantly, all of the LGAs who have what could be considered high rates in the dollar have multiple primary production categories in place," he said. "This is no coincidence and I am confident it's reflective of the economics of grazing."

He added that while it was true that most land could be used for multiple activities, land was predominantly utilised to its highest value use.

"Cattle grazing would be considered a low value use of land. It is most unlikely farmers would regularly 'toggle' their farming activities between cane, cattle and bananas, for example," he said. "It would be impractical, inefficient and expensive."

Mr Burzacott said he had approached the mayor and six councillors, saying none of them disputed the data he presented.

"Some were surprised (at the disparity) and said they hadn't measured the information in that way," he said.

His petition is open to everyone but he said he was hoping participation would be from those affected locally.

Commenting that the CCRC budgeting process starts this month, Mr Burzacott said his end goal was to have support for adding more rate categories from at least four councillors.

"Councillors may tell you a new rating reference group will be set up," he said.

"They said the same thing last year. The opportunity has now passed before this budget.

"Waiting for a group to be established may mean another 12 months at least before change."

The 2017 rating review working group found there had been a considerable impact on regional landholders by the state government's declaration of environmentally protected land without compensation.