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ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS - 2001
Issue 17 - June 2001
In another significant milestone in the 6 year Lake Eyre Basin natural resource management process, the inaugural Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum was held on 26th May in Longreach.
Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group Chair, Don Blesing says, “We now have the governments of two states and the Commonwealth working together and jointly addressing issues of water and related natural resources across two of our catchments, regardless of state borders.
“Also of great importance is the fact that the Forum has appointed the Coordinating Group as their Community Advisory Committee.
“We have been given additional resources to support this role so it will not impact on our normal role within the Lake Eyre Basin process.
As the Community advisory Committee, the Coordinating Group will be the conduit between the government and the communities.
“We will provide the Ministers with the best advice on the catchments and through us, the community can take issues of concern directly to the Ministers.
“This is an exciting day for our communities, our rivers, and our future.”
The communities of the Cooper’s Creek and Georgina/Diamantina catchments have been working together for 6 years to have their unique, unregulated and largely unaltered river systems protected - the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum is the fruit of that labour.
The Community Forum that followed the Ministerial Forum was an opportunity for members of the Coordinating Group and the catchment committees to put major issues to the Ministers.
Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum
The historic first meeting of the Forum was held in Longreach on 26th May.
Forum Chair, Federal Environment Minister, Senator Robert Hill said, “This is an innovative partnership between governments and the community which will enable the nationally important natural values associated with the major cross-border river systems of the Basin to be protected, without diminishing the Basin’s other economic and social values.”
The Ministerial Forum, established under the Lake Eyre Basin Inter-governmental Agreement signed by the Ministers at Birdsville in October last year, also comprises South Australian Water Resources Minister, Mark Brindal, and Queensland Natural Resources Minister, Stephen Robertson.
Federal Conservation Minister, Wilson Tuckey attended the inaugural meeting on behalf of the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Warren Truss.
“The Lake Eyre Basin Inter-governmental Agreement was a historic achievement – it provides the framework for ensuring the future sustainable management of the major cross-border river systems of the Lake Eyre Basin,” Senator Hill said.
He also recognised the important role played by the members of the Basin community in relation to the Agreement, in particular the work of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group and the Cooper’s Creek and Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committees.
“The ongoing support and involvement of the Basin community is essential for the successful implementation of the Agreement,” he said.
The Ministerial Forum will develop appropriate policies and strategies for the sustainable management of the cross border river systems in the Basin in consultation with the Basin community.
“We need to better understand the ecological implications of management decisions affecting these river systems to ensure we avoid making the mistakes now affecting the Murray-Darling Basin and elsewhere in Australia,” Senator Hill said.
Key outcomes from the Ministerial Forum
1. Appointment of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group as the Community Advisory Committee to the Ministerial Forum with an expanded membership to include a local government representative (in the first instance to be from the Western Queensland Local Government Association) and the South Australian Arid Areas Catchment Water Management Board
2. Establishment of a Scientific Advisory Panel, with Professor Peter Cullen, Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology as the inaugural chair, to provide the Ministerial Forum with scientific advice on matters under the Agreement
3. Establishment of arrangements for the State of the Rivers Assessment (to be known as the Lake Eyre Basin Rivers Assessment) as required under the Agreement
4. Agreement to hold the first Lake Eyre Basin Conference in October 2002
5. A budget of $500 000 per annum for implementation of the Agreement, including an allocation to the Coordinating Group to provide secretariat support to the Community Advisory Committee
6. Confirmation of a process and timetable for the development of policies and associated strategies for the management of water and related natural resources (Release of draft policies for public consultation. Seek to develop strategies by November 2001)
7. Establishment of a permanent secretariat to support the Ministerial Forum and its scientific advisory body (to be located with Environment Australia)
More than 50 people attended the Community Forum that followed the inaugural Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum.
They came from as far afield as Adelaide, Canberra, and Brisbane through Innamincka and Windorah to Camooweal.
“The Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group has brought together people who have a coordinated vision, intention, and purpose to see the Lake Eyre Basin managed and maintained and remain productive and progressive,” said Charlie Phillott, Chair of the Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committee.
In welcoming the gathering on behalf of the traditional owners, the Iningai, Leann Wilson said that the Lake Eyre Basin Agreement was a unique tool for joint management involving Aboriginal people, agricultural, conservation, mining and petroleum, pastoral, and tourism stakeholders.
The Forum was an opportunity for the members of the Coordinating Group and the two catchment committees to put issues of concern to the Ministers. These issues included: water management; weeds; diversification; salinity; vegetation management; capacity building; knowledge delivery; continuing funding; partnerships with other natural re-source management bodies; and research.
Leanne Wilson of Barcaldine, a descendant of the Kara-Kara and Bidjara people welcomed the Community Forum to Iningai country.
“It is my privilege and honour to welcome you to Iningai country on behalf of those who no longer journey with us,” said Leanne Wilson.
“The Lake Eyre Basin Agreement is a unique tool for joint management involving Aboriginal people, agricultural, conservation, mining and petroleum, pastoral and tourism stakeholders.
“It is an opportunity to showcase the diversity of our cultures and the richness of our landscapes and waterways.
“With the opportunity comes much responsibility from each and every one of us here today. We need to remember those who have gone before us – both black and white Australians – and be respectful of their journey and their stories and remember who owns them.
“At the end of the day, it is with the approval of the people associated with this land, that this Agreement lives and breathes.
“Please accept my welcome on behalf of the traditional owners, the Iningai people. Welcome.”
Basin people have always been rather good at telling stories of their life and their past – the Ministerial Forum was no different.
Sandy Kidd of Windorah told us that much of his land management knowledge was passed to him, by his forebears, from the Indigenous people.
And elsewhere across the Basin, people are telling their stories.
There are plans to signpost natural, cultural and heritage resources, to enable a visual presentation of stories of the region to travellers.
Aboriginal people tell me stories of their past, filled with pride but coloured with sadness and anger.
Pastoralists and townspeople tell great stories of droughts, dust storms and floods, cattle and wool, race meetings and building resilient communities.
Mandy Martin tells visual stories of the basin in her book, ‘Inflows’ with stunning images of channel country landscapes interspersed with Guy Fitzhardinge’s stories of people and country.
Lake Eyre Basin people need to tell stories as never before. Stories about a better future as well as about the past. The Basin initiative has to find funds and supportive partners to implement the action plans we crafted to create a better future for our country, our communities and our children.
These efforts need to be supported with evocative stories that rouse emotions and inspire people to act differently. Stories that can be shared by all Australians, stories that encourage a passionate investment in our region and in our people. Stories that encourage pastoralists, miners and conservationists to work together for ecological sustainability, stories that inspire urban people and governments to invest in knowledge and human capability.
Tell me your story when we next meet, so I can share it across Australia.
The implementation of our plans is on track.
Members of the LEBCG and the catchment committees are beginning to see their years of detailed planning pay off. This year has seen some significant milestones achieved and some important initiatives being funded.
The most significant being the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum and the role the LEBCG will have in being the Community Advisory Committee. The group now has the responsibility to ensure community priorities and directions are incorporated into future policies and strategies for cross-border related issues. The community of the Lake Eyre Basin has been working towards this for several years and is now celebrating that we can get on with it.
Other achievements over the last few months include:
• The heritage tourism project has commenced. Mr Joc Schmiechen has accepted the position of coordinator and will commence in early July. We are currently forming a reference group from key interested persons from around the basin to help us implement the project.
• The Cooper’s Creek WISE (Water Information System for the Environment) project has also commenced with the appointment of Susan Davis as Project Officer. Susan works with Richard Kingsford at the NSW NPWS and has already commenced collecting information and designing data layers.
• The weeds project has made application to the Weeds of National Significance (WONS) program for $300,000 to manage Parkinsonia across the Lake Eyre Basin. Early feedback is encouraging. (see page 6)
• We were successful with a NHT project to the value of $43,000 to assist with increasing Indigenous participation and communication in the Lake Eyre Basin process.
• Our NHT submission prepared this year that focuses on weeds, salinity, water, information management and education received very positive feedback from the Regional Assessment panels in Queensland and South Australia.
The next meeting of the LEBCG will be at William Creek (SA) in August. Key items for discussion will be the broadening of membership to include people from the Desert Rivers, Western Rivers, and Lake Frome regions where there are no catchment committees, and the draft business plan that will assist the organisation towards future funding security.
The second in a series of meetings with Aboriginal people and their representatives was held on 23rd March in Alice Springs.
The meeting, part of an ongoing initiative by the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group to put in place a process that gives Aboriginal people an equal voice in the management of the Basin’s natural resources, was held in Alice Springs.
The meeting was also a very important step in engaging the Aboriginal stakeholders of the Desert Rivers Region in the whole-of-basin natural resource management process.
Indigenous Land Management Facilitator for western Queensland, John de Satge said, “It’s heartening to see Aboriginal people being engaged early in the process rather than as an afterthought.”
The Centralian Land Management Association (CLMA) is continuing its efforts in the area of rabbit control in the region.
As part of an integrated control program to benefit threatened species in the Finke bioregion, the CLMA will be ripping warrens in key areas to complement the effects of Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD).
“RCD has been the most exciting ecological event in 50 years,” says Will Dobbie of the CLMA.
“It has been very successful but we need to follow it up with ripping to maximise the results.
Predator baiting and assessing the distribution and status of threatened species in the rabbit control areas will also be carried out. A group of dedicated people is working to turn an environmental problem in arid Australia into an economic bonus.
The Central Australian Camel Industry Association (CACIA) has high hopes that their endeavours in the camel meat industry will provide an economically driven control of feral camel herds. Feral camels range across the more arid areas of the Lake Eyre Basin with Australia-wide numbers thought to be around 400,000.
CACIA calculates that by developing a reliable supply of, and market for, Australian camel meat, demand and prices will encourage a vigorous harvesting of feral herds along with widespread farming.
Peter Seidel, Chief Executive of CACIA says, “There’s the potential to double prices within a few years.
“Ultimately, we’d like economics to drive the situation to total farming and get rid of the wild herds.”
Goats remain under the Bounceback spotlight.
The control of feral goats in the Gammon, Flinders and Olary Ranges will be an ongoing process according to Operation Bounceback leader, Damien Pearce.
“Last year we had the numbers down from 15 to about .65 goats per square kilometre and I think we’d be about the same this year,” says Damien.
“This is effectively a maintenance level and there’ll always be the need to keep on top of the problem.
“In conjunction with the landholders, we’ll be running a follow-up mustering and culling operation in July on a few properties in the Northern Flinders Ranges area.”
A meeting in Marree on the second of April saw townspeople and pastoralists working on a cooperative approach to tourism issues affecting the region.
Issues such as the uninvited entry to pastoral properties, impact on the environment, extra load on local community health services, general infrastructure inadequacy, lack of preparedness of some tourists for outback travel, along with the need to develop tourism were debated.
A six person committee (three towns people and three pastoral people) was formed to oversee and coordinate a balanced approach to developing and managing tourism in the Marree area.
According to the Chair of the Marree Progress Association, Andy Dale, there was a feeling in the area that people were losing control of their own destiny as far as tourism was concerned.
“We’ve been getting more and more tourists out this way,’ says Andy, “and the locals want to be active in how the impacts of that are managed.”
“While Tourism South Australia is happy to play a facilitation role, they made it clear that it was up to the locals to manage the process.”
Local TAFE students have been hard at it around Oodnadatta.
According to Dunjiba Community Council Municipal Services Officer, Richard Carmody, the group of 8 have been involved in a wide range of activities as part of their course, a Certificate 2 in Land Management (Aboriginal Community Ranger Assistant) through Spencer College of TAFE – Aboriginal Education Unit.
“As part of their biological survey method training, they helped with a flora and fauna survey at 2 sites on the Oodnadatta Town Common,” says Richard Carmody.
“There were about 28 people all up doing the survey which was funded by the Natural Heritage Trust through the Bushcare Support program and I think they listed a total of 8 species of reptiles, 2 species of mammals, and 48 plants species over a 3 day period.
“The TAFE students also helped build the new amenities block at Dalhousie Springs and have put up protective fences around grave sites at Hamilton Station and on the Oodnadatta Town Common.
“Recently they fenced off an area just to the east of Oodnadatta to keep the horses out and have been revegetating with plants raised from seeds collected locally. They’re going to have another planting on World Environment Day on 5th June.”
Port Augusta based Property Management Planner for Indigenous Held Lands, Wayne Davies, has been busy consulting with indigenous landholders throughout the Western Rivers Region.
“We want to make people aware of Property Management Planning (PMP),” says Wayne, “We’re not trying to force it onto anyone.”
“PMP is all about business planning. Setting goals and going through a strategy to achieve them.”
Wayne Davies says that once you have decided where you want to be in the future, and know what resources (people, environmental and financial) you have, a Property Management Plan can help you to get there.
Chair, Maree Morton addresses Ministers on key issues
The need for diversification options and increased viability was one of the major points made to the Ministers by CCCC Chair Maree Morton.
“Types of water usage allowed within the Cooper’s Creek Water Management Plan (WMP) are restrictive,” Maree said, “and do not allow for the development of sustainable diversification options”.
The allowable types of water usage within the government’s Cooper’s Creek WMP permits stock, domestic and urban usage only, thereby removing any option for diversification outside these three areas.
The establishment of sustainable diversification options has been identified clearly within the Cooper’s Creek Catchment Strategic Plan. Wise diversification enterprises are seen as offering increased viability, particularly on marginal properties, and in many cases, allowing land managers to reduce grazing pressures.
While on the topic of the WMP, Maree also expressed the Committee’s concern that large areas of the Cooper, particularly below Windorah, comprise floodplains, which are not in the definition of a watercourse, and are thereby not covered within the Plan.
Should the WMP be extended to include overland flow, Maree urged the Ministers to ensure the community was kept fully informed and a part of the process.
Maree spoke about the partnership approach being developed through the Cooper’s Creek and Georgina/Diamantina Cross-Catchments Weeds Initiative. She said weeds were a major problem, requiring continuing commitment from the community, all levels of government and a partnership approach. She called on State and Commonwealth Governments to continue extending financial support past the one-year Weeds of National Significance funding program.
In conclusion, Maree said the Ministerial Forum represented a very positive achievement in the Lake Eyre Basin process.
“As someone who has been involved in the process from the very beginning, I feel extremely proud,” she said.
At the recent Blackall meeting, members were brought up to date on two pest plants by Damian Byrne, Land Protection Officer with Queensland Government Natural Resources and Mines (QGNRM). New infestations of parkinsonia have been identified on the Cooper south of Windorah. The high incidence of floods over the last year meant parkinsonia spread could be expected further down the catchment.
Parkinsonia is unknown to many people in south-western Queensland and South Australia, so there is a danger infestations may remain unrecognised and untreated.
Parthenium outbreaks are causing concern in the Blackall and Isisford Shires. The main means of spread are stock and poultry feed along with machinery and vehicles. Parthenium seed is extremely fine and can remain viable for up to 30 years, so extreme caution is needed, particularly with feed or vehicles coming in from heavy infestation areas.
For Pest Facts sheets on parkinsonia and parthenium, phone QGNRM 07 46574302 or 07 4658 4900.
“There is an urgency to prevent the weed from spreading further into important areas of conservation value such as the Lake Eyre (Basin)...as well as to minimise impacts of existing infestations across northern Australia.”…excerpt from the opening paragraph, National Parkinsonia Strategic Plan.
The implication behind these words has resulted in the inclusion of a Lake Eyre Basin component in the Parkinsonia element of the Weeds of National Significance (WONS) funding program.
Through the Cross-Catchments Weeds Initiative, $300,000 is being sought for control of parkinsonia within the Lake Eyre Basin. If these funds are received, most will be available to land-managers within the Basin through devolved grants. The project will be closely aligned to, and support, Shire Council Pest Management Plans in Queensland, Soil Conservation Board weed strategies in South Australia, and DPI & F parkinsonia work plans in the Northern Territory.
The application outcome is expected within a few months, and if successful, land-mangers will be notified through the media, Shire Councils, Boards and Landcare groups.
One of the major achievements of the Cross-Catchments Weeds Initiative is the formation of the Shire Rural Lands Officers Group of Western Queensland. The group has already assisted with reviews of Shire Council Pest Management Plans, and encouraged consistency between them. In recognition of the size of the task, several Councils have moved to allocate more time to their Rural Lands Officers for pest management.
For more information on the Cross-Catchments Weeds Initiative, contact CCCC Coordinator Nora Brandli or GDCC Coordinator Bill Haddrill (both on 07 4658 0600).
Water Management Plan for the Georgina/Diamantina on the horizon. Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Stephen Robertson announced at the recent Ministerial Forum in Longreach that a Water Management Plan for the Georgina/Diamantina would commence in August. The Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committee will be seeking to ensure that this Plan is based on best available information, and provides maximum opportunity for widespread stakeholder contribution.
One of the working groups established at the Bedourie meeting will be focusing on water. The Community Network surrounding the Water Working Group is your opportunity to be kept informed of the progress of the Water Management Plan, and more importantly, an avenue for you to have your say.
At the last Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committee meeting in Bedourie, the focus was on progressing components of the Strategy into issue-specific discussion papers, action plans, and finally the implementation phase of the process.
The Committee determined to progress the role of existing working-groups, and where lacking, establish new working groups to encompass issues and opportunities not previously covered. In all, eight working-groups were formed with the task of moving towards on-ground outcomes for the key issues as identified within the Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Strategy.
By adopting a working-group approach, Committee members can focus their skills and interests on particular issues and opportunities, and create a mechanism whereby multiple issues can be progressed at the same time. With the Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committee moving into the action phase of the catchment management process, it is now more than ever that they require the support of non-Committee personnel. As such, the Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committee is seeking interested people to actively participate in the role of the working-groups.
Additionally, outside of each working group, the aim is to establish a community network of contributors. They may not necessarily have the time to commit to meetings, but have an interest in a particular field and wish to provide comment on outputs, and/or provide guidance to the members of the working-groups.
Such a structure will allow for wider participation from community, industry, research institutions and all levels of government, and will result in outputs being based on best available information. Membership of the Community Networks surrounding each of the working groups is open to all, so if you would like to become involved, please contact Bill Haddrill on (07) 4658 0600.
Georgina river – Past, Present and Future
Drover Wally Atkinson has some novel ideas for promoting and preserving the Georgina River.
He reckons all the big companies should take at least one mob of cattle down the river each year.
“It’ll showcase the river to the world,” says Wally, “and at the same time keep the stock route open and the traditions alive.
“It’s the making of young people, you know. You learn self-reliance and teamwork and you learn to appreciate the country.”
Wally made his last trip down the Georgina River with cattle in 1941 and 59 years later was part of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group sponsored trip evaluating the past and present management of the river and contemplating its future.
“The river hasn’t changed a lot in 50 years; the waterholes are still where they used to be.
“There is a fair bit of Noogoora Burr now and some Parkinsonia, not a lot but we have to watch it and get rid of it.
“If we let it go it’ll end up like that Prickly Acacia country to the north-east – a dog can’t bark in it.”
Wally considers introduced woody weeds to be the biggest threat to the Georgina country but he thinks it is in good hands.
“You know, I was at the Birdsville meetings where you (the Coordinating Group and Catchment Committees) launched your strategic plans and the thing that astounded me was the cooperation and goodwill of all involved – it was such a diverse group of people yet they were all working together for the future.
“There can’t be any hindrance to the flow of the river,” Wally says, “it’s fragile country and can’t be tampered with.”
“My greatest wish for the Georgina, is that kids of the future can go down the river and see it as I first saw it.”
Recognition for the Cooper’s Creek Catchment Committee’s scientific member
Dr Richard Kingsford’s ground-breaking study of Australia’s inland river systems has won the 2001 POL Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.
Richard is the Principal Research Scientist at NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and the scientific member of the Cooper’s Creek Catchment Committee.
His innovative and internationally important research on the ecology of rivers of arid Australia has culminated in the production of WISE (Water Information System for the Environment), a software package for communicating his work in the scientific community and wider public.
Richard Kingsford’s work has contributed to a significant shift in the policy and regulatory framework applying to water, and to a significant shift in attitudes towards Australia’s rivers and wetlands.
Richard’s team is currently working on a WISE CDROM for Cooper’s Creek.
Camel man, historian and naturalist, Phil Gee is a keen observer of the Lake Eyre Basin process. He is secretary of the Marla/Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board, and the proprietor of both ‘Explore the Outback camel safaris’ (Australia’s leading nature-based camel trekking operation), and ‘South Australian Outback Research’ (specialising in for flora and fauna survey and historical research).
Phil has recently commenced small trial program of camels in pastoralism on the Stuart’s Creek Station (SA).
He is also editor of Australian Camel News, and has recently published A History of Pastoralism in the Lake Eyre South Drainage Basin (Royal Geographical Society and Western Mining Corporation Pty Ltd).
Phil Gee graduated from Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1984 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology (he should be able to make a good wine).
He maintained oenological work on a summer contract basis until 1996 when his focus shifted entirely to commercial camel related ventures - particularly tourism.
Phil, his wife and 3 children live in William Creek.