Report ends Australian dream of northern food bowl

David Mark, Cathy Harper

Last Updated: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 16:44:00 +1100

A report by an Australian taskforce has effectively ended the dream of establishing large-scale agriculture in the country's north.

The Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce has concluded the region isn't suitable for widespread development of agriculture.

In its report, the taskforce says Australia's north can only support around 60,000 hectares of agriculture - an area smaller than many farms.

The report, which was released on Monday, acknowledges that while there is plenty of rain in the north, building new dams is not appropriate because evaporation is so high and water is hard to capture.

Gary Gray, the Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Western Australia, says the report has killed off any dream of a food bowl in northern Australia.

"It will not be the food bowl for the world," he said.

Contribution

Mr Gray says northern Australia can make a substantial contribution to the production of food and fibre in Australia.

But that is a generous assessment. The report says that agriculture could grow in the north, from 20,000 hectares that are currently farmed, to 60,000 hectares.

But considering the National Farmers Federation estimates around 4.1 million square kilometres of Australia is currently farmed, 60,000 hectares can be seen as almost insignificant.

One task force member, NT Environment Centre coordinator Dr Stuart Blanch, thinks even 60,000 hectares is too much.

"There is no food bowl in Northern Australia. All those visions for 150 years were wrong," he said.

"They were not based on reality and good science. CSIRO says there's room for a bit more irrigation.

"I think their estimates of 40,000 to 60,000 [hectares] of more irrigation are way too high and I don't think locals want it in the north."

"Nor do I think there is enough water for that amount of irrigation without doing major damage to our tourism, our Indigenous culture, our fishing and our river health."

Recommendation on dams

Despite this, the taskforce stops short of a recommendation against building new dams like the prototype - the 39-year-old Argyle Dam on Western Australia's Ord River.

Gary Gray says the report says it will be difficult to build more dams in the region.

"It means that we have to be very careful about where we put them," he said.

"The report does make the observation that with the river systems and flood plains being close to the coast, the water runs quickly to the sea and relatively little of the rainfall occurs in the upper reaches of rivers where the topography to allow dam construction is more favourable."

But Dr Stuart Blanch says he is disappointed the taskforce's report was not unequivocal in banning the construction of dams.

"I don't think anyone on a task force really wants to see our great rivers like the Daly or the Fitzroy Dam [dammed], but I do regret that we were not able to get stronger more explicit language in the report saying there should be no dams," he said.

"I suspect old dreams die hard and for 100 years southern Australians have looked to the north as potential for major agricultural development and there have been many trials.

"Some have worked but most have not and I think we have had trouble being very clear to say the north can never be the food bowl of Asia."

The report says any agriculture in the north should be based on ground water and that farms should be set up in a mosaic pattern.

Above all, it says more study needs to be done.

Northern Territory Country Liberal Senator Nigel Scullion says he is surprised at the taskforce's findings.

Senator Scullion says he still believes agriculture can be developed in the Territory.

"I was a bit surprised to hear that we simply can't do it in the north," he said.

"Apparently we can't grow things, we can't have enterprise and I have to say [I am] a bit disappointed with the outcome of that report.

"But from a Territorian's perspective, just because it's too hard, we certainly shouldn't give up."

The Greens and environmental groups have welcomed the report and are pleased natural ecosytems won't be disrupted.

Meanwhile, Indigenous groups say they're not necessarily against agricultural development, but they're wary of anything that might lead to the dispossession of Aboriginal people.

The Northern Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance says Indigenous people would welcome agricultural development, as long as they're not exploited.

Joe Morrison from the Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance says indigenous landholders want to be involved on their terms.

"We certainly don't want to go down the track that's been well-trodden before in terms of disadvantaging particularly indigenous people further."