Ministerial Statement: Deputy Premier orders new strategy for Mary Valley

[ozbob]

Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Jeff Seeney
19/04/2012

Deputy Premier orders new strategy for Mary Valley

The Newman Government will deliver a new strategy for re-establishing Mary Valley communities.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney has ordered a halt to further auctions of properties bought by the Beattie and Bligh Labor Governments for the doomed Traveston Dam.

Mr Seeney said Tuesday's auctioning of three properties would be the last under the previous government's strategy.

"The LNP Government will develop a new strategy which will have the core aim of re-establishing communities," Mr Seeney said.

Mr Seeney said the current plan to drip feed properties to the market was ridiculous and failing to deliver a result.

"The failed Traveston Dam proposal was one of the biggest blunders of the Bligh and Beattie Governments.

"It was a debacle of massive proportions which has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Unfortunately it will cost taxpayers many, many millions more dollars to rectify the inept dec isions of the past Labor Government," Mr Seeney said.

The Deputy Premier said he had ordered an immediate review of the whole process of disposal of the properties in the Mary Valley.

"I intend to act quickly. The Beattie-Bligh process has been halted. We will deliver a new strategy within a month."

Mr Seeney said the LNP Government would consult widely with the local community to produce outcomes that will be in the best interests of the local community.

[Stillwater]

ALP promised lots, but never did anything to re-establish the Mary Valley community.  In fact, Bligh's government saw the Mary Valley opponents of the Traveston Crossing Dam as wreckers.

In considering its plan for the Mary Valley revival, hopefully the LNP will consider attracting to the Mary Valley farmers displaced as a result of the Murray-Darling water management strategy.  Of course, many of those farmers will be retiring, but there are younger farmers will horticultural and vegetable growing skills very suitable to the Mary Valley lifestyle and farming practices environment.

As part of its revival strategy, the LNP Government could do well to market prospects in the Mary Valley to Riverina and Goulburn Valley, Murray Valley farmers for whom farming their lands down south is no longer an economic proposition.

[Stillwater]

Well, Traveston station has been maintained.  It's patronage dropped when the state government depopulated the Mary Valley for a dam that did not eventuate.  Hopefully new Mary Valley residents will use the station now that a new road connection directly links the valley with the railway at Traveston.  It will open in early 2013.

[ozbob]

Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Jeff Seeney
11/05/2012

Deputy Premier hears local views on Mary Valley's future

Communities in the Mary Valley will have a big input into their future, Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said today.

Mr Seeney today inspected various sites within the Mary Valley and met with community leaders and local government representatives.

The Deputy Premier said he wanted to hear from local people what they thought was the best approach to dealing with the Bligh and Beattie Labor Government's failed Traveston Dam proposal.

His visit came after he brought a halt to Labor's piecemeal approach to dealing with the vast government property holdings in the valley and announced that a new strategy would be developed.

"Labor had no idea what to do when their Federal colleagues blocked their attempt to build the Traveston Dam," Mr Seeney said.

"After riding roughshod over landowners, residents and the valley's communities by acquiring hundreds of properties, Anna Bligh and her government tried to ignore the mess they'd created.

"Thei r buy-back scheme failed with just a handful of sales of the more than 480 properties.

"Since then they have attempted to drip feed properties to the market, but yet again only a handful of sales have been completed."

Mr Seeney said the Mary Valley communities had to be re-established, re-vitalised and provided with a sustainable future.

"I will listen to what people in the Valley think is the best way to achieve those goals."

Mr Seeney met today with representatives of various groups within the Valley and also with Gympie Regional Council Mayor Ron Dyne.

The consultations would inform the Newman LNP Government's future approach to resolving the issues in the Mary Valley, Mr Seeney said.

"The LNP Government will act quickly to produce outcomes that will be in the best interests of local communities," he said.

[ENDS] 11 May 2012

[Fares_Fair]

Duplication of the rail line to Nambour would also enhance the Mary Valley region rail options.
The renewed Traveston station is a good start.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Rethinking the Mary Valley's ground zero

[Stillwater]

The outdoor education centre was a brilliant business and in keeping with the Mary Valley image.  Some of the land around the towns could be sub-divided into 1 acre blocks to get population back into them.  This would attract tree-changers who would like village living and give the populatiion necessary to support the butcher, baker etc.  Reconfigure the farms into saleable plots (big enough for them to be used for horticulture, vegetables and crops.)  Advertise them to farmers who will have to come off the land as a result of the Murray-Darling water buy-back.

The state government never looked after the houses and farms after the dam was stopped.  Fences are in poor repair, the pastures are riddled with weeds.

[Fares_Fair]

The outdoor education centre was a brilliant business and in keeping with the Mary Valley image.  Some of the land around the towns could be sub-divided into 1 acre blocks to get population back into them.  This would attract tree-changers who would like village living and give the populatiion necessary to support the butcher, baker etc.  Reconfigure the farms into saleable plots (big enough for them to be used for horticulture, vegetables and crops.)  Advertise them to farmers who will have to come off the land as a result of the Murray-Darling water buy-back.

The state government never looked after the houses and farms after the dam was stopped.  Fences are in poor repair, the pastures are riddled with weeds.

A good way to make them affordable too.

[colinw]

Fences are in poor repair, the pastures are riddled with weeds.

I have to wonder if any of the weeds are notifiable pests, in which case the State Government will need to take action against itself or at least issue itself with a cleanup notice. 

[Stillwater]

Well, the neglect is costing us all as taxpayers.  From today's Hansard: (Mr Seeney) - We have 469 properties that the former government paid
$445 million for. At current valuation those properties are now worth $225 million. You and I, honourable members, and every person we represent collectively has lost $220 million because of this single incompetent decision. The interest on the debt runs to some $30 million per annum. The rental income is just $3 million.

[Fares_Fair]

If only they were held liable for their shocking record of waste.
I guess they were in a small way, at the last election.

The money wasted on this fiasco could have had the rail duplicated to somewhere beyond Landsborough.