Cubbie Station

http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news_daily.asp?ag_id=38467

It’s on again. Another bold plan for government to buy Australia’s largest cotton farm, Cubbie Station, in south-west Queensland, is expected to get a resounding ‘yes’ vote from western NSW mayors meeting in Ivanhoe, NSW, next week ..

The far western shires' mayors meet on Monday (6 Nov 06) at a forum convened by NSW Member for Murray Darling, Peter Black.

He has been assured the vote will be a unanimous ‘yes’ to start lobbying the Federal Government to buy “Cubbie”, so the controversial irrigation property’s big water allocations could be returned to the water to users along the Darling River in western NSW.

Mr Black said Cubbie Farms general manager, John Grabbe, had stated publicly his property was worth $440 million.

A previous bid by the Qld Government to buy “Cubbie”, however, failed to win NSW and Federal support.

Two big cotton irrigation farms in the same Culgoa Balonne basin, on the Qld side of the border (Clyde and Ballindool", with a combined water entitlement equal to half that of “Cubbie’s” total entitlement, have been offered for sale in recent months and passed in at auction for around $20 million each.

But no government agency bid for those properties on the auction market - despite all the talk of returning their water to improve Darling environmental flows.

From The Sunday Mail

Cubbie is Australia's largest cotton farm and one of the biggest in the world.
It has the capacity to store up to 500,000 megalitres of water – the equivalent of Sydney Harbour.

The inquiry is examining the impact of rural water use, with a focus on farming innovation and protecting the nation's rivers and aquifers.

It recently emerged state Liberal leader Bruce Flegg owns significant holdings in the cotton farm.

“In Queensland, the great national disgrace remains the water harvesting at Cubby Station which completely intercepts the water rights of downstream users … “In NSW, the over-allocation of the rivers and aquifers is a classic example of disastrous planning by governments of all persuasions.