The government-funded program was designed to reduce polluted run-off to the reef

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Agriculture industry groups have refused to show the Queensland government the results of a government-funded program that aims to improve Great Barrier Reef water quality.

The Queensland Audit Office, in a report to parliament, said the farming industry groups had withheld data about the best management practices program due to “privacy concerns” and that its effectiveness might be “overstated”.

The report found that “despite significant efforts” the environmental management scheme had been taken up by just 2% of graziers and 7% of canegrowers. Those numbers are woefully short of the 2018 target, which was to have 90% participation in priority areas of the reef catchment.

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The government has spent $9.2m over two years financing the voluntary program, which is administered by non-government farming groups. The ultimate aim is to prevent chemicals and sediment running into the reef catchment.

The audit office raised concern the success of the program could not be properly measured because the agricultural groups that receive government funding would not provide data on whether producers had actually improved their practices.

“This detailed information is currently held by the industry groups,” the report said. “Despite this work being funded by government, the information is not provided to government due to privacy concerns from the industry …



“These data restrictions mean government does not have full visibility of the progress made and cannot measure the degree of practice change or assess the value achieved from its investment of public funds.

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“This means that the reported proportion of lands managed using best management practice systems could be overstated.”



The audit report said government was in the process of amending legislation to ensure minimum environmental standards were no longer voluntary. It said the voluntary approach had not achieved water quality targets.

The report also detailed how an increase in tree clearing from 2015 could impact on reef water quality. Clearing of woody vegetation in the reef catchment increased by 50% in 2015-16.

“Generally, if tree clearing and any associated land use change exposes and/or disturbs the soil surface, then water and sediment loss are likely to increase, depending on how the land is subsequently used, and on the practices employed. This could work against the achievement of the targets.”

The Queensland government passed new laws that limit broadscale clearing earlier this year, amid fierce protests by farmers.

The state’s Department of Environment and Science has accepted the recommendations of the audit report, and said it would seek to strengthen contracts to compel industry groups to pass on data.