NEWS / BLOG

Not so baffling: Rockhampton Regional Council winning at sustainability Rockhampton Regional Council aren’t taking any rubbish when it comes to polluting local waterways, and in fact have been recognised as a national leader in sustainability. In 2021, Rockhampton Regional Council were crowned winners of two Australian Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards winning Environmental Sustainability – Natural Environment and Environmental Sustainability – Water categories. Water and Environmental Sustainability Councillor Donna Kirkland said it was wonderful to have Council’s commitment to the environment recognised. “Being named overall winners in the state, and then being nominated as national finalists, is a testament to many of the great initiatives happening across Rockhampton Regional Council,” Councillor Kirkland said. “The overall nomination captured the diversity of the work that we are doing to improve on and contribute to the environmental sustainability of our Region. “Whether it is Fitzroy River Water reducing energy usage and improving recycled water solutions, or the great work happening in resource recovery and waste management, to sustainability initiatives such as our Natural Resource Management and Living Sustainably programs just to name a few. “Ultimately it’s the environment and our whole community that win from having these initiatives in place.” [...]

FBA & CQUniversity: Sights set on seagrass strategies Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) is working with CQUniversity to reduce threats to seagrass communities. The Fitzroy region has the largest seaward draining basin in Queensland, with 1,000 km of coastline that is home to extensive seagrass meadows and part of the Great Barrier Reef Heritage area. Seagrass meadows underpin the survival of fish and shellfish the community eats and transform the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into oxygen. They also filter seawater, capture sediment, stop erosion and provide food for threatened dugong and marine turtle species. Human activity like coastal urban development, storm-water runoff and nutrient pollution can contribute to seagrass degradation and loss. Director of CQUniversity’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC), Associate Professor Emma Jackson is a leading authority on seagrass. She is researching ways coastal development activity can support rather than compromise seagrass that is essential to fish habitats. By participating with CMERC, FBA has been educating industry and the community about ways to decrease threats to local seagrass. Getting people to understand seagrass value is critical to motivating people to reduce marine pollution. Sustainable recreational use of marine areas throughout the Fitzroy region relies on healthy seagrass, so FBA engages the fishing community in volunteer [...]

Kestrel Coal: Finding the balance in water management Kestrel Coal Resources (Kestrel) appreciates that clean water is a valuable and finite resource, particularly within the Fitzroy River Basin, where there are times of extreme under and over supply – the reality of droughts and flooding rains. These extremes can even occur within the same year, as in 2021 where the year commenced on the back of a number of below average wet seasons, but ended with a major flooding event in December. Managing water across the mine site through these extremes aims to find a balance between water usage, water storage and water release, depending on the conditions at the time. As an underground mine, Kestrel is also particularly aware of the surrounding groundwater system – as a resource for our neighbours, the interaction with surface waterways and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems, and from deeper aquifers, as an operational and potential safety issue via management of water ingress into the mine. Kestrel Mine’s Water Management fundamentals include: Reducing Raw Water Usage Reverse Osmosis – Kestrel operates 2 x RO plants on site, with capacity for taking a combined feed of 125,000 L/hr of mine water, and producing [...]

BHP BMA: Water Resources Situational Analysis & Qld Indigenous Land Conservation Project Water Resources Situational Analysis To better understand shared water challenges and opportunities for collective action, BHP commissioned a Water Resources Situational Analysis (WRSA) prepared by Alluvium Consulting and the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals. The WRSA will be made publicly available in mid-2022 and will be a tool for all to use in planning and prioritising action throughout the catchment. Fifteen shared challenges were identified across the following categories: Integrated water resource planning and management; Participation and access of first nations to land and sea country; Water security for economic and social well-being; Data confidence and knowledge; and Water and catchment quality. The WRSA reports on consequences and causes of these shared challenges and identifies existing and future opportunities for collective action. Queensland Indigenous Land Conservation Project Queensland Indigenous Land Conservation Project (QILCP) led by Greening Australia and BHP/BMA, with project partners the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council and the Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation aim to improve and maintain the whole catchment connected to the Great Barrier Reef by engaging, enabling, and empowering Traditional Owners and Indigenous Communities to care for Country. The QILCP has celebrated several achievement since April 2019 including: [...]

FBA: The Brownlie's journey a lesson for others Andrew and Tali Brownlie of Andalia Pastoral are quintessential next generation producers who have developed a taste for leveraging relationships and  resources to minimise risk and maximise return. Their success didn’t happen overnight, and their story is not dissimilar to other dynamic producers who’ve travelled a similar journey to arrive at the same destination. In fact, the Brownlies are an example of curious but interdependent operators who have accepted advice and guidance from FBA and other organisations, implemented what they learnt, made some mistakes along the way, and have come out on top. Part of FBA’s philosophy is to initially work in small increments, walking shoulder to shoulder with the land manager until they achieve a level of confidence that empowers them to investigate other initiatives and fund their own investments. Andrew and Tali took part in the Resource Consulting Services Grazing for Profit course, closely followed by a KLR Marketing workshop and then a Low Stress Stock handling program. Armed with new tools, formulas, planning skills and networks, the Brownlie’s looked at opportunities differently and assessed them with fresh eyes. FBA’s work with the Brownlies has been a team [...]

Cotton Australia, CRDC, ANSTO & UNSW: R&D the key to a sustainable cotton industry The Australian cotton industry has been managing on-farm sustainability for decades, underpinned by investments in research and development, the industry’s Best Management Practices program (myBMP), grower adoption of improved practices and innovation, and active participation in global sustainability programs. Today, Australian cotton growers produce more cotton on less land, with more efficient water use and with less impact on the environment than ever before. Through Cotton Australia and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), the industry has committed to undertaking: Sustainability reporting every five years against agreed targets (set over five-yearly intervals from 2019 to 2029 to align with the Australian Cotton Industry 2029 Vision). Stakeholder engagement on industry sustainability and opportunities for improvement, including via a formal stakeholder forum. Independent assessments of sustainability and environmental performance every 10 years. Sustainability in the industry is underpinned by strong R&D. For example a recent CRDC project with Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and University of NSW investigated the nitrogen cycle in rivers draining through cotton growing regions. The catchments included the Nogoa River a tributary of the Fitzroy River flowing towards the Great Barrier Reef near [...]