Weeds fee draws fire

African boxthorn on the roadside east of Warwick.

By Jeremy Sollars

The Southern Downs Regional Council says it is satisfied it has noxious and invasive weeds under control on its own lands a week after announcing a new pest management fee for private landowners.
As reported in the Free Times last week, the new council budget for 2017-2018 released last Wednesday contains a new pest management fee payable by rural landowners who the council deems are failing to control runaway weeds and feral animals on their properties.
Since our story, residents have hit back with a number of ratepayers contacting the Free Times pointing out invasive weeds – such as African boxthorn and tree pear – are sometimes spotted on council land such as road reserves, prompting suggestions of a double standard.
Southern Downs Regional Council’s manager of Environmental Services Tim O’Brien responded saying: “council manages a large area of road and other reserves, and as such has a team of roadside and reserves weed sprayers who systematically treat weeds on a rotational basis”.
“It would be of assistance to council if the ratepayers and residents could inform council of the locations referred to, so that it could be inspected, established if it is land under the control of council and then treated if required,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Council allocates a large amount of money in its budget to control invasive species and is satisfied with the control efforts in place.”
In keeping with the latest requirements, unless rural landowners can satisfy the council – by means of a ‘Control Works Form’ – that they have weeds under control, those with parcels zoned Agriculture and Farming categories 1, 2 and 3, and Horticulture 1, 2 and 3 will pay a ‘special rate’ of 50 cents in the dollar of the rateable value of their holdings, with a minimum fee of $500 applicable.
Owners of land zoned Residential 4, Commercial and Industrial (Town and Rural), Extractive and Special Uses will pay 30 cents in the dollar, also with a minimum $500 fee.
All owners of the above-zoned lands must submit an annual Control Works Form to the council, but they can request an inspection of their land by council officers.
Widespread concerns are held about the fee levels and the administrative workability of the pest fee plan, officially referred to as the ‘Invasive Pests Control Scheme’.
A previously-proposed five-hectare threshold has been scrapped by the council as a result of community feedback that the scheme should apply to any and all land parcels of any size which harbour or could potentially harbour invasive pests.
Meanwhile, the council’s budget papers show it has allocated $1.1 million “for pest management operations throughout the region”. “Council has allocated funding of $11,000 for replacing a section of the Killarney Wild Dog Fence and $20,000 for the replacement of 1.5km of the Stanthorpe Wild Dog Fence, continuing the commitment to combating the problems caused by wild dogs in the region,” a media statement read.
“Bounty payments for wild dogs are again being provided by council to assist in the control of these animals.”
* More from the new council budget on page 7.