Lakeland could eventually be home to about 3,000 people if the ambitious plan to dam the Palmer River to support 10,050 hectares of additional irrigated cropping in the region comes to fruition. Photo: Supplied.
An irrigation project poised to inject $500 million per year into the Cape York economy could be championed through a Coalition plan to boost Northern Australia growth with water infrastructure, says the candidate hoping to keep Leichhardt in conservative hands at this year’s federal election.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton released his blueprint for the country – Let’s Get Australia Back on Track: the Priorities of a Dutton Coalition Government – in Melbourne on 12 January, with the plan identifying regional economic growth opportunities through an investment in local water infrastructure projects to support agriculture and industry, and capitalising on the competitive advantages of regional and remote areas.
Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate for Leichhardt Jeremy Neal, who is aiming to get his hands on retiring MP Warren Entsch’s crown when voters go to the ballot boxes, said he believed the aims of the Coalition plan aligned strongly with those of the proposed Lakeland Irrigation Area Scheme (LIAS), which would unlock more than 10,000 additional hectares of irrigated cropping land in the region.
“The proposed Lakeland Irrigation Area Scheme is an exciting and worthy project,” he said.
“With the world needing more food to feed its growing population, Cape York and Northern Australia is in a prime geographical position to cater to this demand.
“The [scheme] also has the potential to play an important role in the sustainable growth of our region’s agricultural sector and the community in the Lakeland district by creating new jobs and underpinning investment in infrastructure for the Cook Shire.”
Cook Shire Mayor Robyn Holmes unveils the Lakeland Irrigation Area Scheme detailed business case with RDA Tropical North Chair Professor Hurriyet Babacan and chief executive officer Sonja Johnson at a media conference in May 2024. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The LIAS has already received conservative support, with Cook MP David Kempton promising $190,000 to the Lakeland Progress Association during his election campaign last year to help growers respond to a detailed business case for the project released by Regional Development Australia Tropical North in May 2024.
Mr Neal committed to being a “strong advocate” for the LIAS once additional economic and technical assessments had been completed, acknowledging the project’s potential to deliver an estimated tenfold population boost for Lakeland.
“When the LIAS project has completed the necessary business and technical assessments, I will be a strong advocate for it,” he said.
“I’ll continue to work closely at the local level with David Kempton and the Lakeland community to ensure the project is moving forward, because it has the potential to make a huge contribution to economic development in our region.”
Labor candidate for Leichhardt Matt Smith declined a request for interview about the LIAS, telling Cape York Weekly in an email he was willing to support “any project that stacks up economically and environmentally”, but saying it was up to the State Government to drive the Lakeland plan.
“The federal Labor government invested $10 million into the project through the National Water Grid Fund, and that project was completed in August 2023,” he said.
“I am willing to consider any project that stacks up economically and environmentally, but at this stage, it’s up to the State Government whether they want to proceed with the project and apply for any additional funding.”
Liberal National Party candidate for Leichardt Jeremy Neal says the proposed Lakeland Irrigation Area Scheme is an “exciting and worthy” project that would align with a Dutton government’s plan to unlock regional communities in Northern Australia with local water infrastructure projects. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
