Strategic Cropping Land advocacy on behalf of district landholders.
In 2011, the State Government releases Strategic Cropping Legislation (SCL) sustainable and highly productive farms not covered because of slopes of greater than 5%. KCCG organises for DERM Technical Assessment Team to assess local implications. They spend 2 days in the South Burnett doing additional field work. They confirm many areas, particularly around Kumbia, meet the 5% slope criteria. Mmore inclined paddocks around Kingaroy, Coolabunia, Memerambi and Wooroolin in the 5-8% range. KCCG submits a response to DERM seeking acknowledgement under SCL of the unique topography, fertility and long-term sustainable farm production of the region. KCCG suggests that the 5% slope criteria be increased to 7% or 8% for the South Burnett as a stand-alone region. Creating a defined region criteria would maintain integrity and effectiveness of SCL.
At the same time as bauxite exploration was underway, KCCG learnt that many of these red fertile volcanic soils of the South Burnett would miss out on protection under the newly released Strategic Cropping Land legislation (SCL) due to them being more than the maximum 5% slope as required by the criteria released. This is despite them being sustainably cropped for more than 140 years. KCCG organised the Technical Assessment Team from DERM to confirm the local implications of the facts. The team spent 2 days in the South Burnett regions doing additional field work, and confirmed that the more gently sloping areas (particularly around Kumbia) would fall under the 5% slope criteria and be eligible for SCL protection, but the more inclined paddocks around Kingaroy, Coolabunia, Memerambi and Wooroolin would miss out due them being in the 5-8% mark. KCCG has submitted a response to DERM seeking them to acknowledge the unique geography and fertility of the region, and suggesting that the 5% slope criteria be extended to 7% or 8% for the South Burnett region alone, in the same manner that the fertility of the Granite Belt is protected by region specific criteria. Creating such a defined region would contain any flow on effects for the relaxation of slope from affecting the effectiveness of SCL in the rest of the coastal regions from North Qld to the Gold Coast, which are in the same defined region as the South Burnett.
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