March 6, 2014
Federal Parliament has been told the Macalister Irrigation District (MID) is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the nation, but is in desperate need of an upgrade.
As the Federal Government develops its Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper, The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has put the MID 2030 plan firmly on the agenda.
Mr Chester has called on the Federal Government to work in partnership with the Victorian Government and dairy industry to secure funding for Stage Two of the MID 2030 plan to build the Southern Tinamba pipeline.
Mr Chester said further development of the MID was critical to the prosperity of Gippsland.
He commended the Victorian Coalition Government and Southern Rural Water for announcing $32 million last year for stage one of the MID 2030 plan which will boost the local economy and return more than 12,000 megalitres of water a year for productive use.
Stage one will also involve the design of a future pipeline for the Southern Tinamba supply zone.
“The Victorian Agriculture Minister, at the time, remarked that now the first phase of the project has been secured he would negotiate with the Commonwealth to help build the Southern Tinamba pipeline,” Mr Chester told Parliament.
“I have also had the current Agriculture Minister in Gippsland to give him the opportunity of getting a better appreciation of exactly what is available to the nation out of an investment in the dairy industry in the Gippsland region.
“With access to secure water, almost anything is possible in the agricultural sector in Gippsland.”
Mr Chester said forward-thinking producers in Gippsland were looking at opportunities for future growth by meeting the demand for dairy product in Asia.
“We are fortunate in this country to have world-class farmers. We have highly productive farmers on quality land who are doing an extraordinary job every day of the week not only to feed our nation but also to feed the world,” Mr Chester said.
“We should never underestimate the contribution that our farming sector makes to the greater good when we talk about global issues. Two-thirds of Australian agricultural products—food and fibre products—are exported.
“I would encourage the current Agricultural Minister to keep working with the agricultural sector in Gippsland and I am looking forward to working with him, as my community continues to try to achieve that goal.”