Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group Chief Executive, Peter McLeod attended the meeting to bring pastoralists up to date with the initiatives of the Coordinating Group.

The Coordinating Group is seeking active participation from representative bodies within that part of the Lake Eyre Basin known as the Desert Rivers Region which is predominantly in the Northern Territory.

Peter McLeod says the Group is keen to get broad-based representation from all regions of the Basin not represented by a catchment committee.

“We have well established committees in the catchments of the Georgina Diamantina and the Cooper’s Creek,” says Peter.

“What we are working on now is broad-based representation from those regions of the Basin that, for a variety of reasons, may not wish to form a catchment committee.”

“In the Desert Rivers Region we are seeking members who can effectively represent the interests of Aboriginal, pastoral and urban stakeholders.

“This will provide the Coordinating Group with input from key stakeholder groups in the region while keeping those groups up to date with the initiatives of the Coordinating Group.

Also attending the meeting was Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group Deputy Chair, Angus Emmott. Himself a pastoralist, he welcomed the chance to hear first hand the issues facing central Australian cattle producers.

“It seems to me that, as well as the usual issues of feral animals and plants, a major issue in this area is markets,” he says.

“It could be argued that producers have the choice of going either north, south or east, but it is such a hell of a long way that freight must be a real killer.”

While in the Alice Springs area Peter McLeod and Angus Emmott also met with the Central Land Council and the Alice Springs Town Council with both bodies expressing an interest in continuing discussions on providing a representative to the Coordinating Group.