Cockies offer to kill Govt weeds | Gladstone Environment | Environmental News in Gladstone

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GRAZIERS and other landowners affected by parthenium weed spilling from State Government-controlled land have volunteered to do the Government's work in an attempt to beat the weed pest.

Property owner Ross Cullen said landowners have staged two meetings since Christmas over the parthenium weed problem which the Government has ignored despite requiring rural people to control the weed on their properties.

“Controlling parthenium weed has cost me thousands of dollars each year, and that's not taking in the time and labour I have had to put in to meet the Government requirements,” he said.

“I'm not the only one affected by it, and some of us are willing to do the spraying job on the Government land if it would only supply the chemicals to do the job.”

Mr Cullen said it was not impossible to eradicate the weed.

“I cleared my property of it for months, then the February 2008 rains came and washed new seeds down Dan Dan Creek in the Government owned land bringing a new infestation.”

He said the water flow affected about 9km of creek in his land but altogether it has infested about 32km of creek on all the properties the creek passed through.

Mr Cullen said the residents' concerns were placed before the Member for Gladstone Liz Cunningham at one of the meetings.

In Parliament Mrs Cunningham said although the Rural Lands Protection Act compelled landowners to control parthenium weed, the act did not apply to government-owned land controlled by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and other Government departments.

Residents had told her they would spray the Government-owned land but they would not be able to afford the chemicals.

“I believe that is a tremendous offer and one the Government should take up,” she said.

Another landowner, Bruce Chapman, said he had been battling with the Government about the weed infestation on its land for years,

He said the floods in February last year carried the weed seed from the Government land through properties not previously affected by parthenium.

Mr Chapman said the resultant growth caused a lot of anger among landowners.

He said the State Government demanded landholders comply with the noxious weed act, but had written itself out of the legislation.

“Obviously, what's good for the goose is not good for the gander and the government can feel it does not have to do anything.”