Reef funding welcomed

In response to Minister Scanlon’s media statement yesterday:

Reef funding welcomed

Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) has welcomed additional Queensland Government funding to reduce sediment flow to the Great Barrier Reef.

The Government today announced the Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions Program (GRASS) will be extended.

BMRG chief executive Sheila Charlesworth welcomed the investment.

“BMRG has been developing action plans for land management in consultation with farmers to improve paddock management and pasture cover to enhance production, provide economic benefits and achieve environmental outcomes,” she said.

“The program has been very successful.”

Project officer Samuel Groom said landholders had benefited from ongoing support to deliver improvements.

“The program will continue to promote, develop and extend grazier involvement in improving Reef water quality outcomes and land management capability,” he said.

“BMRG will help to ensure that graziers understand obligations under the Reef regulations and are supported to meet or exceed minimum practice standards.”

In a successful case study, Mr Groom said a landholder was assisted to implement erosion control works.

“This project involved remediating three separate gullies that formed over the property as well as riparian fencing,” he said.

“At one site, contour banks were broken to form small pondage dams approximately every 30m in a checkerboard pattern down the slope so no breaks lined up or allowed water to flow unimpeded down the full slope length.

“The erosion remediation works were completed successfully and the landholders have already seen benefits as the property has been subject to multiple flood events, during which most of the works withstood and performed well.”

Media contact: Michael Gorey 07 4181 2999