WATER RESOURCE ASSESSMENT —
FITZROY CATCHMENT
272. Hon JIM CHOWN to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to the minister's
comments made to The West Australian in regard to the Fitzroy River
agricultural hub —
''The amounts of water and
land required to underpin a cotton industry are unlikely to fit with the
Government's approach.''
Why is the government against a cotton industry when the
CSIRO northern Australia water resources assessment, released last year,
clearly stated that a cotton industry was a sustainable option that would
likely bring one of the highest returns?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
Hon Jim Chown: You're
welcome.
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN:
Excellent—very friendly today.
It is important in the Fitzroy
Valley that we develop some common ground with all stakeholders about the scale
and nature of development that is to occur in the valley. As the member would
deeply understand, this requires a sensitivity to environmental and cultural
values as well as agricultural opportunities.
We see great prospects for cotton in
the Ord, but at this point we see irrigated agricultural opportunities in the
Fitzroy focusing on boosting the cattle industry as well as some premium
horticulture. By the end of this year, the state government will complete the
draft management plan—the centrepiece that ties all the Fitzroy
election commitments together—which will support economic development
as well as cultural and conservation outcomes. The plan will be finalised by
mid-2020.
No decision has yet been made on
water allocation. The draft water allocation plan will be complete by early
2020, and finalised by the end of 2020.