Media Release

Innisfail Advocate column

Recently I was accompanied by some of our region’s growers on a tour around Georgetown, just west of the Atherton Tableland, to assess the potential for safeguarding and strengthening of our lifeblood agricultural and cattle industries.

In almost 40 years as a Member of Parliament in both the state and federal political arena, witnessing the impacts of cyclical drought and unsustainable demands on water in our national Murray-Darling food bowl has only intensified my resolve for irrigation development of the vast resources of the Gulf and Carpentaria area.

Following last year’s ‘hung parliament’ negotiations, we were able to highlight to Prime Minister Julia Gillard the importance of harnessing our abundant untapped natural resources in the north, and subsequently secured a commitment for the development of several proposed micro-water development projects stretching across North Queensland.

One of these: the Gilbert River project at Georgetown.

To date we have been adamantly opposed to any further banana plantings. We remain determined to see introduced a mechanism to control down production. The industry is facing raging over supply.

But the chess board has dramatically changed. We have been formally advised that independent grocers who opposed imports in Yasi have shifted ground.

And unless there is a guarantee of 50-60 per cent supply in a state of flood or cyclone, they will support supermarket giants’ drive to bring in bananas.

People who might consider putting bananas in at Georgetown, contact our offices in the meantime. Talks will be held with the ABGC and grocers whether there is overproduction.