Biosecurity funding for early detection

FEDERAL funding of $1 million over the next two years will be used to boost the capacity for the early detection of biosecurity threats such as lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease.

adjacent to Wongabel State

Forest over two Saturdays in January have helped Barron Catchment Care finalise the delivery of three projects increasing the vegetation extend of the unique but critically endangered Mabi community with approximately two hectares.

Two of the projects were funded through the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action Grant Program (Conservation and Community Climate Action Program), while one of the plantings was part of a project that received funding from the Australian Government’s Planting Trees for The Queen’s Jubilee Program, with a commemorative plaque placed at the site.

A community event was held in October to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee and raise community awareness around Mabi forest.

Barron Catchment Care engaged a contractor to do work on site preparation, sourcing, transporting and allocating the trees and doing maintenance for the plantings.

QPWS and Treat (Trees for Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands) provided further support with their contributions to initial site preparation, supply of trees and organising the community plantings.

“Whilst Barron Catchment Care might be mostly known for its projects in weed, pest, land and water management, it also has been working on many projects over the years aiming to restore and revegetate native vegetation on cleared and degraded land,” Barron Catchment Care chair Brian Down said.

“These projects contribute to our vision of maintaining and enhancing the economic, ecological, and cultural values of the Barron River Catchment.”

Community members interested in participating in future revegetation events can get in touch with Barron Catchment Care on info@barronrivercatchment.org.au or on TREAT’s website and Facebook page.

Queensland, in partnership with the Northern Territory and Western Australia, will have even stronger surveillance and preparedness for emergency animal diseases with a total of $4.33 million in federal funding.

Northern Australia is at the forefront of biosecurity threats, and on alert following the detection of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease in Indonesia last year.

The north also requires a unique approach to stakeholder engagement given the complex range of livestock industry stakeholders operating in isolated and remote regions.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said Queensland’s share would be $1 million over two years, which would help to maximise resources and enhance the State’s capability.

“We’ll be investing the money to boost early detection capacity with an initial focus on foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease,” he said.

“The funding supports the newlyestablished Northern Australian Coordination Network, which brings together Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australian governments in partnership with key industries and local communities.

“Queensland’s contribution will be a partnership with the Queensland Government, AgForce, James Cook University and the Federal Government.”

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said while Australia remained free from lumpy skin disease and foot-andmouth disease, the country must continue to stay alert to the risks.

“Our proximity to Southeast Asia, where these diseases are present, poses an increased risk of an outbreak occurring here, particularly in Northern Australia,” he said.

“The network will support preparedness activities by partnering with industry groups on the ground to maximise available resources, enhance communication and training, and boost our foot-andmouth disease and lumpy skin disease surveillance efforts.”

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said the continuation of strong and collaborative work with government and the broader community was critical in providing best protections and outcomes for industry amidst the ongoing biosecurity challenges. “AgForce welcomes the chance to be a strong ongoing contributor to this work,” he said.

Wolfram mine set for new lease on life

AN abandoned Far North Queensland mining area is one step closer to coming back to life – creating more good jobs for regional Queenslanders in the burgeoning critical minerals industry.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said tenders have been called for resource exploration activities across a 480 square kilometre area, which includes the former Wolfram Camp mine

“Queensland’s long history of resources activity has left a legacy of abandoned mines across the state but, thanks to advancing technology and changing market demands, some of these mines have the potential to once again become commercial operations,” Mr Stewart said.

“After consulting with industry groups, miners, explorers and local representatives last year, it was clear there was great interest in restarting resource activities at the abandoned Wolfram Camp mine.

“This project is a pilot that could potentially see more of our abandoned mine sites around the state transformed from a liability to an asset – once more generating good jobs and royalties for all Queenslanders.

“Those royalties can also help offset the cost of managing existing, abandoned mines, while the government has also acted to prevent future issues with tighter requirements for progressive mine rehabilitation.”

Wolfram Camp is named for wolframite – an important primary ore of tungsten which miners have been extracting from the site since the 19th century.