❓ Ms Duncan asks how the Water for Food program's land tenure changes will aid irrigated agriculture in pastoral areas. The Minister outlines efforts to smooth lease rollovers, reform rangelands, and explore diversification options within existing legislation, focusing on section 79 agreements and addressing heritage, native title, and conservation issues.
AnsweredQoN 553Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER FOR FOOD PROGRAM — PASTORAL AREAS
553. Ms W.M. DUNCAN to the Minister for
Regional Development:
Can the minister please explain to the house how the new land tenure
arrangements announced in the Liberal–National government's
Water for Food program will help unlock opportunities for irrigated agriculture
in our pastoral areas?
553. Ms W.M. DUNCAN to the Minister for
Regional Development:
Can the minister please explain to the house how the new land tenure
arrangements announced in the Liberal–National government's
Water for Food program will help unlock opportunities for irrigated agriculture
in our pastoral areas?
AnswerView source ↗
Thank you very much to the member for Kalgoorlie for the question and
also for hosting me during my visit to the Ngaanyatjarra lands recently. What
is very clear from that visit is the deep respect the communities out there
hold for their local member of Parliament.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The Minister for Water just talked about
the Water for Food project.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first
time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I am sorry for speaking while the member
for Collie–Preston was interrupting!
The Minister for Water just articulated the launch of the first tranche
of the Seizing the Opportunity Agriculture and Water for Food projects. I must
say that she did a very good job in demonstrating her horsemanship skills to
the people of that community, only surpassed by the skills of the local
Indigenous people, who are clearly very talented in that regard.
The Department of
Lands is working through three issues with pastoral areas. One is ensuring that
we have a smooth rollover of pastoral leases at the end of June 2015. That is
in train now. We are also looking at a broader rangelands reform program, which
takes time. Those issues are not off the agenda, and we are working through
them to get some agreement to allow greater opportunities in pastoral areas in
Western Australia.
The second issue is a
subset of the Water for Food project. The department is looking at what scope
we have within the current Land Administration Act to open up opportunities in
the pastoral areas. One of the challenges is the constraints around the leases
in which such things as a diversification permit, which is an option for
pastoralists to diversify, can be used only for pastoral reasons. That limits
their scope to implement other project developments on their leases to export
or take on other initiatives in agriculture that go beyond pastoral purposes.
Part of what the Department of Lands is doing is to look at section 79
agreements, which come through the Land Administration Act, for alternative
uses for lease arrangements to allow for diversification options on pastoral
leases to capture the scope of investment opportunities, in particular, third
party investment. We know the interest around Asia in investment opportunities
in Western Australia is not limited by capital or demand. Our opportunities are
limited by scale and by our capacity to be competitive in those markets. The
Liberal–National government is trying to unlock the opportunities for
the private sector to use its resources to develop and grow those
opportunities. Squaring off on availability of water in the north is one such
area, which is what the Minister for Water is pushing.
The third issue is
land tenure. The Minister for Agriculture and Food is pursuing issues around
business cases and the structure and nature of businesses that sit on those
pastoral areas. The Department of Lands is doing a lot of work with the current
legislation to get processes to support pastoral lessees to activate those
opportunities, walking them through heritage, native title, conservation issues
and all those things that need to be squared away to capitalise on that
opportunity. I am very pleased that this initiative will be on the front foot
of developing the opportunities that the north presents in a managed and
coordinated way. I hope that in time we will see the private sector make the
investments necessary to develop the agriculture potential of pastoral areas in
WA.
also for hosting me during my visit to the Ngaanyatjarra lands recently. What
is very clear from that visit is the deep respect the communities out there
hold for their local member of Parliament.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The Minister for Water just talked about
the Water for Food project.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first
time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I am sorry for speaking while the member
for Collie–Preston was interrupting!
The Minister for Water just articulated the launch of the first tranche
of the Seizing the Opportunity Agriculture and Water for Food projects. I must
say that she did a very good job in demonstrating her horsemanship skills to
the people of that community, only surpassed by the skills of the local
Indigenous people, who are clearly very talented in that regard.
The Department of
Lands is working through three issues with pastoral areas. One is ensuring that
we have a smooth rollover of pastoral leases at the end of June 2015. That is
in train now. We are also looking at a broader rangelands reform program, which
takes time. Those issues are not off the agenda, and we are working through
them to get some agreement to allow greater opportunities in pastoral areas in
Western Australia.
The second issue is a
subset of the Water for Food project. The department is looking at what scope
we have within the current Land Administration Act to open up opportunities in
the pastoral areas. One of the challenges is the constraints around the leases
in which such things as a diversification permit, which is an option for
pastoralists to diversify, can be used only for pastoral reasons. That limits
their scope to implement other project developments on their leases to export
or take on other initiatives in agriculture that go beyond pastoral purposes.
Part of what the Department of Lands is doing is to look at section 79
agreements, which come through the Land Administration Act, for alternative
uses for lease arrangements to allow for diversification options on pastoral
leases to capture the scope of investment opportunities, in particular, third
party investment. We know the interest around Asia in investment opportunities
in Western Australia is not limited by capital or demand. Our opportunities are
limited by scale and by our capacity to be competitive in those markets. The
Liberal–National government is trying to unlock the opportunities for
the private sector to use its resources to develop and grow those
opportunities. Squaring off on availability of water in the north is one such
area, which is what the Minister for Water is pushing.
The third issue is
land tenure. The Minister for Agriculture and Food is pursuing issues around
business cases and the structure and nature of businesses that sit on those
pastoral areas. The Department of Lands is doing a lot of work with the current
legislation to get processes to support pastoral lessees to activate those
opportunities, walking them through heritage, native title, conservation issues
and all those things that need to be squared away to capitalise on that
opportunity. I am very pleased that this initiative will be on the front foot
of developing the opportunities that the north presents in a managed and
coordinated way. I hope that in time we will see the private sector make the
investments necessary to develop the agriculture potential of pastoral areas in
WA.
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