TFGA president lambasts Booth and Greens over irrigation claims

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association president Wayne Johnston today bitterly criticised Tasmanian Greens’ leader Kim Booth over his assertion that Tasmania’s irrigation scheme rollout should scaled right back on the false assumption that the Meander Dam is, in effect, a white elephant.

Mr Booth has said he doubts “they’ve sold a potato out of it”.

Mr Johnston challenged other Tasmanian Greens to publicly support what Mr Booth had claimed.

Mr Johnston, who was the then chair of the Meander branch of the TFGA and current chair of the Meander Valley Enterprise Centre, argued the business case for the dam with Canberra and state politicians in the lead-up to it being approved and opened in February 2008.

“It is unbelievable that a politician of modern times could offer such a view, presumably from his own misconceptions, without first researching the facts,” Mr Johnston said.

“The fact that his fellow Greens, nationally and in the state parliament, have remained silent infers they concur with Mr Booth’s view or they are unwilling to ask him to recant.”

Mr Johnston cited the December 2011 overview report that consultants Macquarie Franklin prepared for Tasmanian Irrigation. The report summarised the wider benefits for the Meander Irrigation Scheme. The executive summary reads:

“With current water rights the additional gross value of production generated will be around $17.9 million or an 18 per cent increase on the 2005-06 census estimate for the Meander Valley municipality.

“At full utilisation this increases to $23.7 million or a 23 per cent increase in the gross value of production for the municipality.

“On-farm capital expenditure (pipelines in paddocks, etc) is likely to be around $30.9 million with current water rights, increasing to $40.8 million at full utilisation – in addition to purchase of water rights.

“Additional on-farm employment is estimated at 39 full time equivalents (FTE) initially, increasing to 52 FTE at full uptake.

“Indirect employment might be another 20 FTE initially increasing to 26 FTE at full uptake (assuming an employment multiplier of 1.5 for the local community).”

Mr Johnston said he now asked Mr Booth:

“If Macquarie Franklin is wrong; if local farmers who have invested in the scheme are wrong: if this is the basis for the Greens withdrawing support for Tasmanian irrigation schemes, where is the evidence to support your case?”
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association president Wayne Johnston