Last week Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett revisited a property which had suffered extensive damage during the January 2013 together with the Burnett Mary Regional Group to inspect the recovery work and pay tribute to all involved in the successful project.
Electra landholder Trevor Garrard’s property was prioritised under the state government’s On-Farm Productivity and Riparian Recovery Program which was rolled out via the Burnett Mary Regional Group.
Mr Bennett said the jointly funded Queensland and Australian government program assisted many landholders to restore productivity and combat major damage to waterways and floodplains following the 2013 floods.
“Through this program, we were able to ensure our primary producers like Mr Garrard were back on track, as well as actively building up farm and landscape resilience ahead of any future flood events,” he said.
Mr Bennett said Trevor Garrad’s property was a fine example of how the On-farm Productivity and Riparian Recovery Program helped landholders get back up-and-running.
“It was great to revisit this particular site which was once severely affected by the floods… the property suffered enormous damage with the loss of thousands of cubic metres of soil being swept away leaving a steep and fragile bank with little vegetation,” he said.
“Two years on we can see a massive change in the landscape through a combination of soft earthworks and revegetation.
“Strengthening these badly eroded areas to minimise the threat to further loss of land has been a priority.
Mr Bennett said the project not only assisted local landholders but helped to employ more local people.
“More than 30 people, many of which were from our local indigenous community, were able to be moved from work for the dole to gainful employment, and many still have a job as a result of the training they received during the project,” he said.
Mr Bennett congratulated the Burnett Mary Regional Group for the role they played in rolling out the program.