Agmates

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

The Nationals Central Council has voted 149 to 1 against to move ahead with the formation of new conservative party in Queensland. QLD Nationals Leader Lawrence Springborg has been relentless is his drive to bring about the new conservative political force in Queensland which he believes is the only hope of ousting the long serving State Labor government.

Despite hostile opposition within some sections of the Liberal Party the National’s Council, rightly so has voted to conduct a ballot of the Party’s 10,000 Queensland members to find out if they support the move or not..

Members will be asked to vote on whether they support the “consolidation of like-minded, non-labor forces into a single political entity in Queensland” according to National’s Queensland Senator Barnaby Joyce (pictured) who enthusiastically supports the push for the new party.

The State Liberal party had side stepped the issue a week ago when instead of supporting a motion to conduct a ballot of their own members they referred the matter to the Federal Party.

However 4 federal liberal MP’s lead by Federal Member for Ryan Michael Johnson have defied the Liberal’s National leadership by deciding to hold their own ballots allowing party members in their electorates to vote on supporting the move or not.

Michael Johnson (pictured) and his fellow Liberal MP’s must be congratulated for this move. Liberal Leader Brendan Nelson has been traveling Australia on a “listening tour”. Why would any Liberal MP not be agreeable to giving rank and file Liberal party members the opportunity to express their opinion on the merger / formation of a new conservative party in QLD?

Hasn’t it got through to some Liberal party MP’s that a major reason they got thrown out of government by the Australian people was because they’d stopped listening to the people?

Have your say!

Would you support the formation of a single, non-labor conservative Party at State and Federal level in Australia? 

Leave your comment below or Click on the Blue word Comments to bring up the Reply box.

As predicted in Agmates articles over the last 3 months the QLD government moved yesterday to declare the tropical pasture Gamba grass a class 2 weed.

Following on from Western Australia’s lead Gamba Grass is now a Class 2 weed in Queensland following the announcement of The Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, The Honourable Tim Mulherin State member for Mackay (pictured left) issued yesterday.

Click here to read the Minsters press release on the governments’ web site.

John Rains General Manager Southedge Seeds Mareeba North Queensland writes:

I believe this is the tip of the iceberg with Buffel, Panicums and Stylos next on the Eco hit list. It is a must for the industry peak bodies to get off their bums and take a worthwhile fight up to these alternative people. The Grazing and Seed Industry needs to get together to formalize and document a Code of Practice for the use of imported production plants.

This is a victory for nonsense, a defeat for commonsense. It was an ‘Rent a Crowd’ exercise. I commend the Minister for taking a balanced view.

Having said that I consider the Northern grazing industry has every right to request a recommendation for a replacement grass that will give the same production and have the same attributes as Gamba.

While these ‘Ecoclowns” have been putting time, effort and money into bad Gamba grass they have overlooked, probably conveniently, the really bad, useless, invasive environmental weeds that are around. This whole Gamba debacle was started by one researcher from Darwin.

Not only have they curtailed the use of a highly productive pasture plant but potentially a very valuable one. One thing conveniently overlooked by these ‘Ecoclowns’ is Gamba can sequestrate over 200 mt of Carbon per ha from the atmosphere and produce massive quantities of Cellulose at the same time that will eventually be used for renewable Biofuel. It can do this without growing and maintenance costs.

Gamba is extremely drought tolerant. It produces its own Ammonium Nitrogen.

Southedge Seeds was the only seed company to put its hand up and fight for the right of the Northern grazing industry to utilize and plant this valuable plant.

From my company’s point of view, sales volume and turnover of Gamba is insignificant. Not having Gamba sales will not make any difference to our business. I feel saddened for the northern Graziers who will be denied the use of this great plant. Many of these graziers are Aussie battlers not the big glamour pastoral companies.

However much these environmentalists bleat the Australian native grass and legume species are not up to the job of giving the production required for viable grazing enterprises in Northern Australia.

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Update 04.04.08 @ 12.40pm

And now the pressure is ramped up on the NT Government to ban Gamba Grass. Click here to see the CRC media release.

Extract from the CRC media release:

“The decision today by the Queensland Government to officially declare African Gamba grass a weed is a correct and courageous decision…
Dr McFadyen said that the fact that almost 200 scientists recently signed a declaration calling for the grass to be banned sends a clear wake-up message to the NT Government to pay attention to the evidence about the long-term risk this species poses to the natural environment and to other valuable assets.”

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Have your say!

Are peak farming lobby groups AgForce, NT Cattlemen Assoc, Graziers and the Seed Industry doing enough to protect Graziers against these Anti-farming environmental groups?

Leave your comment below or click on the Blue word Comment to activate the comments box.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

Anti - farmer Green groups & weed warriors and have unloaded the second volley at State and Federal politicians in their ongoing campaign to have the QLD & NT governments ban Gamba Grass.

This is no surprise as we flagged this was on in our article Greens Pressure QLD Government to ban Gamba, Buffel Grass & Leucaena on the 18th of March.

If you read the Green propaganda - Gamba grass is “Australia’s Worst Weed”. The only thing they don’t say but imply is that the fires of Hell are actually Gamba Grass fires - it’s so bad.

On Monday with great fan fare they released this to the Media - It had also been delivered to the following politicians:

1. Paul Henderson – Chief minister of the NT
2. Anna Bligh – Premier QLD
3. Peter Garrett – Minister for the Environment.
4. Tim Mulherin – Minister Primary Industries QLD
5. Andrew McNamara – Minister Climate Change and Sustainability QLD
6. Craig Wallace – Minister Natural Resources and Water QLD
7. Christopher Natt – Minister for Primary Industries NT
8. Loenard Kiely – Minister Parks and Wildlife & Natural Resources – NT
9. Senator Penny Wong – Minister Climate Change and Water

An Open letter from Scientists calling for a ban on Gamba Grass Across Northern Australia

The Agmates article exposed the tactics to be used by the greens and the issue has been picked up ABC rural radio and to a small extent by Rural Press.

One result of our exposing their tactics is that the CRC has removed Leucaena from their web site and does not mention it. I’m told this is because the Leucaena growers have in place a state government recognized code of practice.

However if you go to their site you’ll see Buffel grass listed as a major weed that must be stamped out: Below is the photo and text from the site:

Buffel grass at Uluru (Ayres Rock NT)

Cenchrus ciliaris
Like gamba grass and mission grass, buffel grass is an African native introduced to Australia as a pastoral species. Highly competitive and drought tolerant, buffel grass has opened vast tracts of land to grazing, increasing carrying capacity in central and northern Australia. But the spread of buffel grass has been disastrous for the environment as it out-competes native grasses and spreads fire into ecosystems not naturally accustomed to frequent burning. It also threatens the environmental integrity of landmarks like Uluru (Ayers Rock), NT (seen here). Projections are that buffel grass could cover 58% of mainland Australia.

——————————————————————————————–

What we need is a Gamba grass growers association, that can develop an industry ‘code of practice’ that will satisfy State Governments. We don’t need State Governments passing legislation that hurts producers and economic productivity, all to satisfy the Anti - farming Green Hysteria and their supposed green vote.

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Update 1. 03/04/08 @ 11pm

The Qld Government today declared Gamba Grass a Class 2 Weed. There are 3 categories: The definition of a C2 weed is:

C2 Weeds: plants are established in the State and have, or could have, an adverse economic, environmental or social impact. Landowners must take reasonable steps to keep land free of Class 2 plants. It is an offence to keep or sell Class 2 plants without a permit

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Update 2. 04/04/08 @ 11.30am

Ministers Statement on the ban. John Rains calls for action from Peak bodies to protect Tropical pastures.

Have your say!

Should the NT Governments follow WA & QLD and Ban Gamba Grass?

Leave your answer below of click on the Blue word Comments and leave your reply.

Northern Territory Grazier John Khan writes:

G’day fellow Agmates. My family are cattle farmers in the Batchelor area 100km South of Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT). This region has the most intensive growth of Gamba grass in the Top End.

There is an assured rainfall every year and it could be one of the most productive areas in Australia, but we have always suffered from the governments’ apathy and stubborn resistance.

(Photo of John Khan out checking cattle on his families property ‘Kita Lagoon’.)

I came to the Top end more than 40years ago after working on stations in others parts of NT, Western QLD and Northern SA. At that time cattle grazing was not very successful in the Top End.

The carrying capacity was very low due to the useless native grasses (predominantly Spear Grass) and the long Dry season, and the cattle were stunted and un-thrifty.

(This is a photo of native Spear Grass (sorghum intrans) which is the most worthless weed in the Top End.)

Three things have allowed grazing cattle to become a viable business in the Northern Territory

1. The introduction of Bos Indicus cattle:

(Steers Grazing out from Supplement Feeder on our property Kita Lagoon.)

2. Supplementary feeding of cattle (especially with urea) as seen in the photo above.

and
3. The introduction of the improved tropical pasture Gamba grass.

(These are our cattle grazing on Gamba Grass at Kita Lagoon.)

There was not much Gamba around twenty years ago but since then it has spread naturally over a large area replacing the native Spear grass.

(Below is Gamba Grass under Grazing conditions in the Northern Territory.)

About ten years ago a group of people formed a conspiracy to eradicate farming in Northern Australia, and return the savanna to a “pristine” wilderness.

These radicals hid under the cloaks of the Darwin University, CSIRO and the multitude of government departments and other organizations calling themselves conservationists.

They knew that the only way to realize their goal was to use “the salami slicing” method and they selected “land clearing” for the first slice.

This stopped new farms being developed but it did not affect the farms already cleared so the second slice was Gamba.

(Our Cattle love Gamba grass. See in this photo how around this watering point they are eating it under the fence of the adjoining paddock.)

Gullible local residents were steadily brainwashed with lies and propaganda about Gamba grass and then a wonderful opening presented itself to them.

A Batchelor rural resident, John Earthrowl, on a twenty acre block had a bush fire stopped fifty meters from his house. He blamed Gamba for the fire and made a lot of noise so the radicals set him up as the front man. Earthrowl organized and chaired a meeting in Batchelor to discuss what should be done with Gamba.

The meeting was totally set up, orchestrated and rehearsed with many of the speakers being radical. They whipped up hysteria with their outrageous lies and prophecies and the radicals shot out of the cupboard.

They enlisted the aid of the loony left, the suburban trendies, the poison pumpers and the hungry media and the campaign started in earnest.

My grand daughter Rashida and I had been researching Gamba for some time so we hit the Minister for Environment and the Government departments concerned with enough facts and information to almost shut them up for two years.

For example one of the lies they propagate is that Gamba is totally invasive, choking out every other species of grass. Gamba forms about 30% of the pasture mixture on our property. Here is a photo of Gamba co - existing with Stylo (a legume) on Kita Lagoon.

Under pressure from these anti - farming, anti development green groups Western Australia which has practically no Gamba at all, brought in legislation to ban and eradicate it.

Now these same groups are pressuring the Queensland Queensland Government to do the same.

The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland has teamed up with the Queensland Conservation Council and the Wilderness Society demanding that the Queensland government declare Gamba a noxious weed. Click here to see their current Newsletter article declaring Gamba Grass as “Australia’s Worst Weed”

If Gamba is declared a weed they will go for the next slice- probably Buffel, then Leucaena, Calopo, Stylo, Para grass until every useful pasture grass is banned. Be warned, their real agenda is to rid Northern Australia of Agriculture.

THESE RADICAL “WEED WARRIORS” MUST BE STOPPED NOW!!

John Khan

Have your say - Should the Queensland Government cave into the outrageous demands of radical green Conservation groups or listen to the responsible view of farmers and farm lobby groups like AgForce? Tell us what you think? - leave a comment.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

The Rudd Governments plans to meet its commitments under the recently ratified Kyoto protocol have been dealt a potentially lethal financial blow.

The Federal and ultimately the High Court of Australia is now to rule on whether the Commonwealth can use the 80 million tonnes of Carbon Credits accumulated from land clearing bans.

It had been the previous coalition governments intention and by default the Rudd governments plan to meet it’s commitments to limit the nation’s Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2008-2012 to the Kyoto Target of an 8% increase above the levels achieved in 1990, by using these accumulated credits without paying farmers for them.

The Federal Court in Sydney in December last year agreed that farmers have an arguable case against the Commonwealth over ownership of the 80 million Tonnes of carbon created from land clearing bans.

The credits will single handedly enabled the Commonwealth to meet its Kyoto commitments. The value of those credits has been estimated by leading authorities at $10.8 billion dollars.

The legal right of the Commonwealth to use those credits is now in question and is to be decided by the courts.

Peter King, Barrister for the New South Wales farmer Peter Spencer who is challenging the Commonwealth on ownership of the carbon in the trees said in a statement “This is the first occasion in Australian legal History that it has been found there was an ‘arguable case’ against the Commonwealth by farming interests that the Kyoto Protocol may give rise to property rights”

Now the court has given Mr Spencer the Green light to file a “notice of motion” which is an injunction to stop the Commonwealth from entering into any carbon trading scheme, until the case is decided.

Mr Spencer (pictured) with the support of action group Commonwealth Property Protection Association has long maintained that the Federal & State Governments have worked hand in hand through the Native Vegetation Clearing restrictions to create huge carbon sinks on farmers properties.

Until now the Government had planned to use the carbon credits created by those “sinks” to offset its Greenhouse Gas Emissions and meet it Kyoto commitments at no cost to itself. Thats now in doubt.

Justin Sherrard and Alan Tate in a report to the Australian Emissions Trading Forum in December 2006 entitled “Australia’s Farmers Miss Out on $billions” stated:

“Through reducing land clearing Australia’s farmers are carrying virtually the entire load of reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Kyoto target. Yet their efforts, worth billions of dollars, have not been recognized nor financially rewarded.”

Their report, assesses the extent and value of rural sector emission reductions being achieved and how these could benefit the hard pressed farming community.

“If farmers had not achieved these dramatic emissions reductions, to meet its target the Government would be obliged to fund alternative activities to reduce emissions, or to pay other countries or companies to reduce emissions on Australia’s behalf………. The value of emissions reductions achieved by farmers by restricting land clearing is $10.8 billion, according to our assessment.”

Mr Spencer backed by hundreds of farmers in New South Wales and Queensland where the emissions reductions achieved are largely the result of the tough land clearing laws imposed in those two States, wants compensation for farmers lost property rights and the carbon credits.

The application for the injunction is set down for hearing on the 2nd of April. However Mr Spencer’s barrister Peter King has just requested that it be moved forward on the basis of fresh evidence that has just come to hand that further supports his clients case.

Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong (pictured) is declining to comment as the case is before the court.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

State and Federal Labor Government’s have abandoned farmers devastated by the central QLD floods. Premier Anna Bligh was in Emerald and Charleville during the floods for the photo opportunities and media coverage but when it comes to the offering any real assistance to those hardest hit she has “left them to rot”.

National Party member for Charters Towers Shane Knuth is angry and frustrated. All of his efforts to bring the issue to the State & Federal governments attention have been ignored. Agmates calls to the Preimers depart about this issue were never return. AgForce has also been lobbying State and Federally for these farmers without success.

Member for Charters Towers Shane Knuth (on right) with Hog and Melanie Jones and Julie Dillion standing in front of the Belyando bridge which was submerged by the river for the first time since it was built.

Mr Knuth told Agmates - “I’ve made several approaches to the government on behalf of the affected farmers on the Belyando with no response. There are cattle out there dropping like flies from three day sickness. The Sandflies are eating flood stranded cattle and those poor people that live there alive.

Given the severity of this event and the huge infrastructure losses in the Belyando/ Emerald districts the Government is simply being tight fisted and mean spirited, offering a lousy $150,000 in assistance packages.” Mr Knuth said.

“In Cyclone Larry, some producers accessed a combination of low interest loans and grants of up to $500,000 to assist in the rebuilding of their business. People here have suffered millions of dollars in losses and the government, just because these people are isolated and out of the media spotlight throw $150,000 at them like you’d throw a dog a bone.”

“It’s a disgrace, the Premier is prepared to let good honest farming families go to the wall, while she sits in the air conditioning in George Street preparing to spend $500,000 of tax payers money to keep the media from exposing her parties mismanagement and neglect.” a furious Mr Knuth told Agmates.

A loans manager of one of the rural lending banks who asked not to be named told Agmates that they have a number of clients in the worst hit arrears. He told us that there was no way these people would be able to meet their upcoming interest payments and if they did not get immediate low interest long term assistance from the government, the consequences would be dire for them.

Mr Knuth suggested Agmates speak to the Luke family at Bygana to get an idea of just how badly affected some farmers where. I contacted Dan and Leanne Luke and asked them if they would share their situation with the Agmates.

The Luke’s property Bygana is 23,500 acres on the Belyando River and 32 days after the flooding 50% of the property is still under water. Government authorities have classed the property as “out of flood”. This rating means that the Luke’s can still assess a government helicopter to check on stranded cattle but they have to pay the fuel costs.

Photo of Dan Luke walking through flood waters with his dogs to check on stranded cattle

Below is a map of Bygana emailed to us by the Luke’s showing the the areas still underwater. Of the 23,500 acres they have only approx 5,000 acres that is unaffected. Flood water initially covered 18,500 acres. A month after the floods 12,000 acres is still covered in water up to 1 metre deep in places.

Whilst being flood bound Dan and Leanne have had plenty of time to access their losses. “We did a tally over a couple of days and we stopped after we got to $3 million in losses” Dan said. “it was getting a bit depressing so we gave it away”.

Those losses include about approx 400 head of adult cattle, nearly all of their machinery, dams, fencing, 30kms of newly laid poly pipe, the road out of Bygana .

What has been a bitter pill to swallow is the huge areas of improved Buffel grass that has been killed. The Luke have progressively improved their country over the years planting it to Buffel grass. “As the water is finally soaking back off our country we are seeing that we have lost our pasture. Buffel can’t cope with being submersed for days and we estimate we have lost nearly 7,000 acres without whats still under the water.”

This photo shows some of the 1,000’s of acres of dead buffel grass.

Dan admitted that the $150,000 low interest loan on offer would probably cover the cost of repairing the dams, but not much else. He and Leanne were grateful for the support local member Shane Knuth had given. “He’s written a few letters and tried but we are not getting our hopes up. We are pretty isolated here, no one really knows whats happened.”

The photo’s above and below show how the water has made the country a dank rotting mess. When the water goes after a month all thats left is dead grass and with a green slime on the ground.

“Dan said, that they were no worse off than a number of other families in the area. We’d welcome Premier Anna Bligh or any other Labor politician to come and have a look for themselves. We’d be happy to show them around, but they’d have to come by light plane or Chooper, there’s no road left”.

Below is the Bygana house. This photo was taken on the 16th of February and shows the flood water starting to rise again after further heavy rains the night before further up the river.

Cattle that survived the flood water are dying from three day sickness. “We are doing our best to save them but it’s really difficult. The Sandfly and mosquito’s are in plague proportions. They spread the disease from beast to beast and with the water everywhere is really difficult to get to them. The photo below is of 2 head that died at this gateway.”

We spend a lot of our time dragging dead timber in heaps and setting fire to them. The cattle stand around in the smoke which gives them some relief from the none stop bitting insects.

“We have approximately 12,000 acres of Bygana just like this, waterlogged and rotting.” The next 3 photo’s give you an idea of just what it looks like from the air.

This is a photo of a machinery shed that is about 50 metres from the house. It was taken after the peak of the flood.

Finally, there are some on Bygana that don’t think it’s all bad news.

Have your say - Leave a message of support for the Luke’s and other farmers struggling to cope with huge losses, or have your say about the Queensland Governments leaving the Belyando / Emerald flood ravaged farmers to fend for themselves.

Agmates editor Steve Truman writes:

First They Stopped Land clearing Now They Want to Outlaw Improved Pastures!

The QLD State government is under pressure from a radical group of southern “green intellectuals” to declare tropical pastures including Gamba Grass, Leucaena and Buffel Grass noxious weeds in this state.

Agmates has confirmed this with AgForce Cattle Policy Director Oscar Pearce and two other leading tropical pasture experts. Mr Pearce told Agmates ” The QLD government is under pressure from a small but determine group of “green” lobbyist who have a long running campaign to have Gamba Grass banned.”

Mr Pearce said “It was only through AgForce’s previous work that species such as Gamba have not been declared as weeds under national listings. However now they are using “the Salami method”. It’s a tactic they have used very successfully in the past, to pressure the state government into taking action.

“They break the campaign into smaller pieces, firstly working to get Gamba declared then they’ll will move onto Leucaena and Buffel grass which are both on their agenda.”

Cattle grazing on well managed Gamba grass in north Queensland.

Agmates has seen material on this groups web site stating that Bullef Grass, Leuceana and Gamba grass are all “monospecific stands that outcompete native grasses (and trees in the case of Leucaena) that significantly raise the fire regime of an area to the point of removing competing trees and shrubs. These features make them excellent pasture grasses and serious environmental weeds.“

Photo of Gamba Grass being burnt. When left unmanaged Gamba fires burn at 7 times the ferocity of native grass fires.

John Rains and Ross Newman of Southedge Seeds at Mareeba are 2 of Northern Australia’s leading authorities on improved tropical pastures. When I spoke to John Rains and asked him to comment he told Agmates : “I am pleased at last there is, although at the 11th hour, an attempt to get ‘arse in gear‘ to stand up to these ‘Weed Warriors‘. The whole future of the northern grazing industry is at stake.

There is an almost clandestine group set up nationally to draw up guidelines and criteria as to the weed status of all introduced plants including cropping plants. Biosecurity Australia has based it’s approach on the recommendations of this organization’s Invasive Species Committee which is based in Adelaide. This outfit has an internal ‘navel gazing’ email loop.

Ross and I have been fighting the recommendations of this radical green group for some time. When I finally was able to uncover the group behind this push to have important pasture plants such Buffel, Sirato, Glycine, Parra grass, Setaria, Gamba and Leucaena declared noxious weeds I contacted them. When I did all hell broke loose, I was even threatened by one of the members.”

“Ross and I are are in total agreement with Oscar Pearce that declaring Gamba a weed in QLD is just the ‘thin edge of the wedge’ and that they are hell bent on having all Northern introduced pasture plants banned.” Mr Rains said.

A stand of well managed Irrigated Leucaena at Emerald Central QLD.

So here’s what we can do about it?

Oscar Pearce told Agmates - “The only way we can counteract these green lobby groups is to present the government with a practical solution that effectively manages the environmental concerns about the unchecked spread of Gamba. A code of practice (CoP) , on how to manage the pasture correctly, is the the key.

It is unrealistic to try and eradicate Gamba. Instead, setting parameters for pasture management in a CoP should assure government that potential environmental impacts are being properly managed by Queensland producers.”

AgForce is lobbying the minister for Natural Resources & Water, Craig Wallace and Biosecurity Queensland, but desperately needs more information about the use of Gamba in grazing operations.

“We are asking if the Agmates community could help with our submission” Mr Pearce said.

1st thing we as a community can do:

Those who have Gamba Grass on their property:

We need anybody who has Gamba grass on their property to complete the AgForce Gamba “e-survey” on line. The survey will give us the information we need to make a firm argument to Mr Wallace.

Mr Pearce as given Agmates his personal commitment that the information collected in the form will be used exclusively for the purpose of the submission and will not be used for any other purpose. To do so would be a breach of the privacy act.

So if you have Gamba Grass on you property CLICK HERE to complete the AgForce survey.

2nd thing We as a community Can Do:

Tell The minister What You Think;

If you think this issue is important tell Natural Resources & Water Minister & Minister assisting the Premier in North QLD Townsville’s Craig Wallace your view and opinion on this issues. Agmates will email each comment to Minister Wallace and ask him to reply on line for all the Agmates to read.

To have your say Click on comment underneath the photo of the stand of Buffel. This is too important to be shy.

Third Thing We Can Do:

If you feel strongly about saving Queensland Graziers right to use any and all commercially significant productive pastures in their farming operation, forward this article onto everybody you know and ask them to Complete the Survey if they have Gamba Grass or if not leave a comment on Agmates for the Minister.

Buffel grass under threat from radical green groups.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

Below are more incredible photos of the flooding in Central QLD. After we ran Linda Hewitt’s pictorial history of the flood at their property Agmates has had reader’s sending in a lot of photos of the floods. Below is just a sample of some of them.

Clermont private agent Malcolm Flohr of Australian Livestock sent us these aerial photo’s of some the worst area’s of flooding in and around the Belyando river catchment.

The properties that these photos are taken of are 150 - 200kms (as the Crow Fly’s) from Colin and Linda Hewitt’s Fork Lagoon station. That will give you an idea of the massive sea of water across central Queensland.

This first one is of Albro Station which is on the eastern side of the Belyando River about 100kms due west of Clermont. Albro joins neighboring properties, Laglan to the North, Beresford and Springvale to the east and Degulla and Lestree Downs to the West (across the river.)

Across the river to the west of Albro is Degulla station. Degulla’s neighbors are Lestree Downs to the north, Laglan & Lennox to the west, Forrester & Riverview to the south and Mirrabilla & Albro to the east.

In the Photo below you can see Degulla homestead and other buildings in the water on the top right hand side.

Frankfield Station Homestead complex which is about 70kms North West of Clermont, swamped by flood water.

Foxes Creek - 6 mile cattle yards. If you look closely you can just see the tops of the high steel yards sticking out of the flood water. Where are the cattle?

Isla Plains station which is about 90 kms South west of Clermont, 45 kms North, north east of Alpha and about 100kms west of Linda & Colin Hewitts property Fork Lagoon. (all distances as the crow fly’s). The Belyando River runs right through the middle of Isla Plains.

Now for some photos of another open cut coal mine just out of Capella. These were sent to me by my brother Justin and his wife Tracey. They came from their friend Donna who lives at Capella.

These are the photos of the submersed drag line that all of you in Australia have all seen on the news.

I am told that these drag lines are $100 million dollar machines. There is another one in there under the water somewhere. You might ask why the mine did not get them out. These machines are so big that they walk at 1/4 of a mile per hour. So what hope did they have?

These photos are of the same open cut coal mine Donna tells us that at this stage all of the mine staff have been laid off and no one knows when, if ever it will reopen again.

As water filled one enormous pit it rushed over a dirt wall into another.

The speed and volume of water was just unbelievable.

A truck that was stranded by flood waters on the road between Capella and Emerald.

The highway between Capella & Emerald. The water just lifted the bitumen up and carried it off the road in great sheets.

The destruction these enormous floods have caused to mining, agriculture and infrastructure will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and it may take many years to recover from.

In their comments on the Hewitts flood story at Fork Lagoon, David Connolly & Stephen Lill reminded us that Dorothy McKellar’s Classic poem “My Country” cuts close to the heart of the matter.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror,
The wide brown land for me.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

Linda Hewitt in her article Central QLD Flood Devastation in Pictures touched on the devastation the flooding has caused in central Queensland not only to the rural but also the mining industries.

Malcolm Flohr principal of private Agent Australian Livestock in Clermont has sent Agmates these photos of a dramatic mine “rescue” at a flooded open cut coal mine just outside of Middlemount.

Flying over the flooded mine.

These huge open cut pits are full to the top.

You can just see the tops of the huge mine machinery poking out of the water. Notice the Excavator in the top left of the picture.

Tops of huge mine hall dump trucks, these are the ones that a Toyota 4 wheel drive comes about half way up the wheel.

Believe it or not there is a man in that machine who has started it and is trying to haul the machine out using the bucket to drag it toward the edge of the pit.

The following is a series of photos of this incredible feat of bravery.

I’d reckon about now our intrepid hero was wondering if this was such a good idea.

And right now he’s given it everything it’s got. I mean who would know what was under the water, these pits go down 100’s of metres.

That was close and a testament to the power of these machines, to be able to haul itself back from that.

Finally our hero in the “Budgie Smugglers” has saved the day. This photo really gives you an idea of just how big this machine is and just how great the financial loss the mining industry in central QLD has suffered.

If anybody know’s who this guy is we’d love to hear from him.

Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:

It’s official - The National’s are to form a new conservative party in Queensland.

The QLD National’s executive in a meeting in Brisbane late last week, unanimously backed a series of motions to Merge the National & Liberals into a new party.

Agmates can reveal that a working group will be announced this week to work through the issues including membership, finances and a draft constitution.

State President, millionaire trucking magnate and Dalby Cotton grower Bruce McIver said, “We will be preparing the path for a vote of members by late March or early April.”

The QLD Nationals move is in response to a survey conducted amongst QLD National’s members which found a whopping 96% supported the establishment of a single conservative party in Queensland.

Mr McIver said, “People recognize that we can’t keep doing the same things we’ve always done in conservative politics in Queensland and expect to win government.”

The decision by the State executive to merge with other “like minded” conservative parties comes just 3 weeks after Nationals State MP’s ambushed Leader Jeff Seeney in a Party room coup that reinstated Southern Downs MP Lawrence Springborg as the Party and Coalition Leader.

Photo of Lawrence Springborg and Party deputy Fiona Simpson on the Sunshine Coast at the Start of the recent whirlwind “Conversation with Queensland” tour.

In his previous time as the Leader of the party and the QLD Coalition Lawrence Springborg had campaigned for the merger as the only way forwarded for conservative politics in QLD. His last attempt which had gathered wide ranging support until it was brutally killed off by then Liberal Prime Minister John Howard, when his reaction to the proposal was “over my dead body”.

In a statement to Agmates Mr Springborg said……

“In the sixteen months or so that I was on the backbench, I had time to do a lot of thinking and reflecting.

I’ve taken a good inward look at my personal passion for my home State - Queensland, and what I believe is the true purpose of my life has made me realize that I couldn’t just sit back and watch as the Coalition consistently shot itself in the foot.

While I am 100% supportive of a single conservative force in Queensland, I feel equally strongly that this must be driven not by a handful of politicians in George St, but by the people of Queensland.

I’ve embarked on a “conversation with Queensland” asking Queenslanders what they want, what concerns them most, what “shape” they would like a credible alternative Government to be.”

In other developments:

The Federal Nationals present at the meeting backed the proposal. Mr McIver said, “Not one person at the executive meeting spoke against the proposal.”

The Queensland Liberal party has given the merger it’s “in principal” endorsement but will wait until after the March 15th Local Government elections to make a final decision.

The Nationals will be holding a series of meetings with “like-minded conservative” groups and party’s around Queensland this week with a view to them joining the Nationals and Liberals in the new conservative party.

It is believed that the historic first conference of the new conservative party will be held as early as May.