QCAR Chair Christian Lago says he hopes the LNP can pressure the PM to ‘do the right thing by regional Queenslanders’ and declare Category D disaster assistance to unlock vital funds
QCAR staff welcomed multiple politicians to Ingham on Saturday morning (February 15) as they inspected flood damage to sugarcane farms and discussed why it is crucial to declare Category D disaster assistance.
It comes after the state and federal government on Thursday announced the release of Category C grants capped at $25,000 for flood-affected primary producers.
Joining QCAR Chair Christian Lago, Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella, and Herbert District Committee Junior Chair John Board were Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Senator Susan McDonald, Kennedy MP Bob Katter, and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto.
“They listened to our concerns as far as eligibility and the grants that are needed to recover from this flood disaster and it was good of them to put their feet on the ground and assess the damage for themselves,” Mr Lago said.
“Hopefully they can put pressure on the federal government and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to come forth with Category D grants and make the money accessible.
“This disaster broke records for the Herbert region with floodwaters surpassing the 15.2m mark recorded in the infamous 1967 flood.
“A lot of farmers were financially stretched even before this flooding. If they now outlay money on recovery efforts and have their grant application denied, many businesses will sink.
“So, along with pushing the governments to announce Category D level-grants, we’re asking them to extend the grant application periods as we’re obviously in a skills shortage, and recovery works may take longer than 12 months to complete.”
Mr Lago said the flood caused significant damage with farmers now faced with expensive earthworks, repairs to paddocks and banks, recovery of eroded topsoil, and the mass replanting of cane that was waterlogged and now boiling in shallow water to the point of ruin.
“But we’re in the midst of the wet season so many of these works can’t take place until April, May, June at the earliest,” he added.
QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella, whose own paddocks in Inghams have incurred damage in the vicinity of hundreds of thousands of dollars, said there was further pressure on flood-affected North Queensland sugarcane farmers with planting windows fast approaching.
“In the Herbert, we would normally start planting in May and would finish in late September, early October so with the flood damage, there’s an incredible and exhausting amount of work ahead and some farmers may not be able to plant this year,” Mr Di Bella said.
“By the time repairs are made, paddocks will run out of moisture and make planting non-viable.
“We’ll do the best we can to get the cane in the ground, because if we don’t, there goes our income, but we’ve got farms in Ingham that have been underwater for 14 days now.
“We’re going to lose them because of the heat.”
Mr Di Bella estimated there could be up to one million tonnes less of cane cut across the Herbert this year, resulting in between $25 to $50 million in economic losses.
But he said the full impact of the disaster was yet to be realised as floodwaters were still receding.
Mr Lago said QCAR was also anticipating losses for farmers in the Burdekin region, with further direct and indirect impacts on the milling and harvesting sectors.
“Category D grants are vital in helping communities recover from natural disasters, and we know this recovery process will be long and heartbreaking, with the social and economic impacts felt by not only those in the sugarcane industry but also by the local communities, families and businesses the sector supports,” he said.
“There is no doubt damage to infrastructure will place strain on the mills to meet QCAR’s requests for this year’s crush to begin in early June, as it traditionally had and needs to.
“We cannot overstate how important a Category D declaration is to prevent further delays, which would inevitably force farmers out of business.
“We trust Mr Albanese will do the right thing by regional Queenslanders, and we anticipate his prompt declaration of extra funding.”
Also in attendance during the politicians’ tour of Ingham were QCAR Herbert District Committee Members Walter Giordani and Chris Butler – both of whom incurred extensive damage to their sugarcane properties, AgForce North Queensland Director Michael Penna, Hinchinbrook Shire Council Mayor Ramon Jayo and Deputy Mayor Karen Brown, Australian Banana Growers’ Chairman Leon Collins and Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy Manager Kathryn Dryden, and Cosca Ingham Senior Accountant Ross Girgenti.
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- For media interviews, please contact QCAR Herbert District Manager Lawrence Di Bella on 0448 084 252
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