An expert panel chaired by Professor Ross Garnaut will conduct a comprehensive examination of the proposed Bradfield inland irrigation scheme under a new State Government initiative.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the independent panel, which will also include Queensland Farmers Federation chief executive officer Dr Georgina Davis and James Cook University Professor Allan Dale.

“Projects like this have the potential to support a new generation of farmers, landholders and regional communities if it’s done in a way that is realistic and affordable,” she said.

The panel’s job will be to assess the financial, economic, environmental, social and technical viability of a Bradfield Scheme, or ‘Bradfield like’ concepts, as well as make recommendations for any further assessment.

It is due to report back to within a year.

But Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter warned North Queenslanders to be wary of lip service from Labor and the LNP as the parties attempted to out-bid one another as the No. 1 supporters of such a scheme.

“The timing of Labor’s announcement about the review, only weeks out from the 2020 Queensland Election, has not gone unnoticed,” Mr Katter said.

“You can have all the reports you want but at the end of the day, development like this requires a judgement call from a strong leader.

“The truth is both sides have proven they are incapable of making those judgment calls, so I am not very enthused.”

Mr Katter said the planned August 2021 report date would conveniently miss next year’ State Budget cycle for May-June which meant any recommendations that required major funding would have to wait until the following year.

“We want the review completed by March 2021 so any recommendations can be funded in the forward budget,” he said.

The LNP has been promoting its own plans for a New Bradfield Scheme – devised by Sir Leo Hielscher and Sir Frank Moore.

This would create Australia’s largest dam, Queensland’s largest hydro-electric project and irrigate an area of outback Queensland larger than Tasmania, it says.

“Labor has a panel, but the LNP has a real plan to build the New Bradfield Scheme,” LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said.

“No one believes Labor will deliver this project. The Palaszczuk Labor Government is anti-dams, anti-regions and anti-jobs.”

Labor even voted against the New Bradfield Scheme in the last sitting week of Parliament, with the Treasurer publicly attacking the project’s concept, she said.

Labor Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper said significant investigations were already underway into projects that could be part of a Bradfield-style scheme.

“Any Bradfield project must start with water storage in the north – and that’s already happening,” he said.

“There’s three business cases underway or in hand – raising Burdekin Falls Dam, Hells Gate Dam and Big Rocks Weir – and Urannah Dam has been declared a coordinated project.”

Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said nation-building water infrastructure like a Bradfield scheme was usually driven by a national government.

“The Premier first raised the Bradfield Scheme in October last year and offered to work with the Commonwealth Government on a revised scheme,” Dr Lynham said.

“The Queensland Government is not waiting any longer: we are taking the lead and comprehensively re-examining a Bradfield Scheme concept.”

The panel’s terms of reference include:

• considering the economic benefits to regional communities and agricultural production, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and related recession.  
• opportunities for renewable energy generation, complementary hydroelectric power generation, hydrogen production opportunities, and resources sector development.
• integrating with complementary infrastructure, including the CopperString project.