Cockies offer to kill government weeds


Ren Lanzon | 8th March 2009


GRAZIERS and other landowners affected by parthenium weed spilling from State
Government-controlled land have volunteered to do the government's work in an
attempt to beat the weed pest.

Property owner Ross Cullen said landowners have staged two meetings since
Christmas over the parthenium weed problem which the government has ignored
despite requiring rural people to control the weed on their properties.

"Controlling parthenium weed has cost me thousands of dollars each year, and
that's not taking in the time and labour I have had to put in to meet the
government requirements," he said.

"I'm not the only one affected by it, and some of us are willing to do the
spraying job on the government land if it would only supply the chemicals to do
the job."

Mr Cullen said it was not impossible to eradicate the weed.

"I cleared my property of it for months, then the February 2008 rains came and
washed new seeds down Dan Dan Creek in the government owned land bringing a new
infestation."

He said the water flow affected about 9km of creek in his land but altogether it
has infested about 32km of creek on all the properties the creek passed through.

Mr Cullen said the residents' concerns were placed before the Member for
Gladstone Liz Cunningham at one of the meetings.

In Parliament Mrs Cunningham said although the Rural Lands Protection Act
compelled landowners to control parthenium weed, the act did not apply to
government-owned land controlled by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
and other government departments.

Residents had told her they would spray the government-owned land but they would
not be able to afford the chemicals.

"I believe that is a tremendous offer and one the government should take up,"
she said.

Another landowner, Bruce Chapman, said he had been battling with the government
about the weed infestation on its land for years,

He said the floods in February last year carried the weed seed from the
government land through properties not previously affected by parthenium.

Mr Chapman said the resultant growth caused a lot of anger among landowners.

He said the State Government demanded landholders comply with the noxious weed
act, but had written itself out of the legislation. "Obviously, what's good for
the goose is not good for the gander and the government can feel it does not
have to do anything."

http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/story/2009/03/08/cockies-offer-to-kill-gover\
nment-weeds/