Richmond Shire Council's 100,000ML water application denied

The advice that the project wouldn't be proceeding to stage two, after a $1.35m grant from the Department of State Development, plus $150,000 of shire revenue enabled a preliminary business case, plus a detailed design and feasibility study to take place, was handed down just before Christmas.

"We couldn't believe it - the project was supported by MITEZ - it was the number one irrigation project," Richmond Shire Council Mayor John Wharton said.

"We've been working really hard on this for three or four years but we were knocked back by the Department of No Results.

"It's just completely unbelievable."

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Cr Wharton said the department had advised them that the reason for the decision not to grant the council's application for a 100,000 megalitre water allocation was because the council hadn't mapped overland flow.

"And yet council did a 20,000 hectare LIDAR survey and it's the biggest council-funded LIDAR survey ever done in Australia," Cr Wharton said.

"If that was all it was about, sit down and talk to us.

"Basically, they just don't want it."

When asked for the reason behind declining the application, a Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water Department spokesperson said tenders for 110,000ML of unallocated water from the Flinders River system, which closed on January 16, were currently being assessed before successful applicants were notified.

"While the process is ongoing, strict confidentiality and probity conditions apply," the spokesperson said. "However, any proponent seeking water for a project can contact the department and we'll help find a water trading partner," the spokesperson said.

Cr Wharton said the project ticked all the boxes regarding hydrology, and had been presented to Water Minister Glenn Butcher on a visit to the shire, along with the department's director-general and others.

"It would definitely, straight away (have) brought a cotton gin," he said.

"The people growing cotton up here now, they don't have a sense of economy.

"We would have brought 6000ha of cropping, and not only that, it would bring feedlots.

"The more grain we grow around here the better.

"Now, the farmers that are trying, they've still got to send their product to Emerald, Dalby, Biloela, to get it processed."

Adding to Cr Wharton's frustration are the current licence holders who he says are not doing anything with their water entitlements.

"There's people on the river, these corporates, they've got 50,000ML and heaps of water doing nothing," he said.

"Council would have built straight away.

"It was 300 jobs, it was going to take 65,000ML out of a river that's out there now, flowing 200,000ML a day, four million a year into the Gulf."

Cr Wharton said there had been no room for negotiation in the department's response.

"Their answer was, well, if you don't like it, take it to court," he said.

"I don't think that's negotiation.

"I am disillusioned but I'm used to that."

An application by the Flinders Shire Council for a smaller amount, around 10,000ML, to double the capacity of its 15 Mile offstream water storage project, was similarly denied, but mayor Jane McNamara said that wouldn't affect the original project.

"We had hoped to double its size but we were not granted approval to proceed to stage two," she said.

"The project will still go ahead, subject to funding from the federal government - we'll just double down on getting stage one done.

"Small things proceed to big things."

The $60m project will utilise 8200ML of existing river licences and has $25.6m in state government funding, which will be put towards the construction of a 7000ML dam, to facilitate a feedlot and meatworks for the region.

Cr McNamara said extra water allocations would have been put towards horticultural activities.

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