WA biosecurity groups cop six-figure hit after pastoral rent saga forces them to scale back or cancel projects

Five groups tackling feral dogs, camels and weeds across the State’s rangelands have been given a critical shot in the arm after they were left out of pocket hundreds of thousands in a lease rate snafu. The State Government’s $1 million payment — which will be shared between them — will help fill the shortfall, however for some the losses have been so big that they have been forced to suspend critical biosecurity programs. Registered Biosecurity Groups were earlier this year left shocked when they found out they would no longer have the funding for 2021-22 that they had anticipated. It comes after pastoralists, who were staring down up to 400 per cent rent increases following a 2019 review, lodged 103 objections to the price hikes, initiating a major review. Every five years pastoral rents are independently determined by the valuer general, with the 2019 review determining the following five years worth of rent. In a win for pastoralists, their objections were upheld, with Kimberley pastoralists looking at about a 100 per cent increase instead of 400 per cent, while Gascoyne, Goldfields and Southern Rangelands rents will actually decrease. It had a domino effect on the five RBGs operating in the regions, who rely on pastoralists paying them a Declared Pest Rate, which is set to reflect land values and matched 50-50 by the State Government. Because their rents were reduced, the DPR (and matched State Government contribution) was also reduced, delivering a “two-way hit” for the groups, which had already submitted their budgets and operational plans for 2021-22 at the time. The groups had to refund the excess to the State and pastoralists, with pastoralists either not required to pay the DPR for this financial year, or pay a reduced rate. It has burnt a $700,000 hole in the Kimberley Rangelands Biosecurity Association’s pocket, with most of the pastoralists which issued objections within the group’s funding base. KRBA executive officer Dick Pasfield said they had to cut three gamba grass and rubber vine weed programs which they were planning on undertaking in partnership with other organisations. He feared without the combined multi-agency funding and industry participation in such programs, they may struggle to attract funding in the future and the weeds could wreak havoc. “The really important things about the weed programs we undertake is they are only comparatively small infestations compared to other weeds we have in the Kimberley,” Mr Pasfield said. “Gamba grass changes fire regimes as it grows 3-4m high so you’ve got a very high fuel load if that was spread across the Kimberley. “We get wildfires up here and if that spread they wouldn’t burn low and slow, they’d be big fires, where you’d lose stock, pasture and environmental values. “And rubber vine takes over everything and it is very difficult to muster in those areas.” The RGB will still undertake their core weed program focusing on prickly acacia. Mr Pasfield was grateful for the State Government’s contribution, acknowledging the support of WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan and other industry organisations including the PGA in securing the funding. Goldfields-Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association operations manager Michelle Donaldson said the amount of funding the group would receive in 2021-22 had been slashed 34 per cent. “It was quite a hit,” she said. She said it was “wonderful” that the State Government was providing the funding boost. “We have no plans to run an aerial baiting program this year, which helps us get to the harder to reach areas, but we’ll be focusing heavily on our core business, supplying baits that people can distribute on the ground,” Mrs Donaldson said. “The GNRB is basically a buffer for the agricultural region and we do the best we can on an incredibly small budget. “It’s an ongoing struggle.” At 34 per cent, she said the GNRBA had not been the hardest hit in the saga and they had banded together to lobby the State Government for funding. To their relief last week, WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced a one-off ex-gratia payment $1,090,000 to fill the funding shortfall. Ms MacTiernan said RBGs played an “absolutely essential” role in keeping feral animals and pest plants under control. “While the system is based on a 50-50 split of funding between the State Government and the landholders, the decision of some pastoralists to appeal their rental rates meant the operations of the RBGs in the coming year was at risk without additional government funding,” she said. “This special payment will mean the government contribution remains unaltered, even though it has not been matched by industry.” It was welcome news to Mrs Donaldson. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “The impact of wild dogs is pretty well known and without this arrangement with the RBGs and State Government, I really don’t know where pastoralists would end up. “I’d hate to think where we’d be without this arrangement.” The group just completed a 6-7 tonne baiting program, with another planned for April, but Mrs Donaldson said some of the RBGs may have “missed the boat” to do a baiting program before the year’s end. “Some of the wild dog work still won’t be completed as you’ve got to order and inject your meat (with 1080 poison) — it takes months of planning,” she said. “We haven’t had a lot of notice.” The State Government is currently undertaking a review of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007, which will include examining the operation of the declared pest rate system. “It is important that we do not see a repeat of this situation in future years,” Ms MacTiernan said. Other RBGs impacted were Carnarvon Rangelands Biosecurity Association, Meekatharra Rangelands Biosecurity Association and Pilbara Regional Biosecurity Group.