Newsletter #7 – September 2025

We know our project is vastly more than just providing additional water security to the region’s growers.

It is the most significant economic project for the Lockyer and Somerset regions in decades and will drive and sustain local prosperity well into the future.

It is also the most important food security initiative for Queensland since the Lockyer and Somerset horticulture sector was established and will lock in fresh produce production to feed a growing South East Queensland and Queensland.

SEQ’s population is on the move again. By 2032 and the Olympic Games, our population is expected to hit 5 million. By 2042 more than 6 million people are expected to call SEQ home. By the mid-century the Queensland population is forecast to exceed 8.5 million people. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.

The thing about the Lockyer Valley and Somerset is not just that it produces food – it’s the type of food it produces. It’s our daily staples including potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, beans and carrots.

Food security and increasing the production of primary industries in Queensland has emerged as a key focus of the State Government.

Mayor Milligan and Mayor Wendt had the opportunity to recently brief Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett providing an overview of our project and status update. The Minister provided some key insight into the development of the Government’s Prosper 2050 strategy and its interim aim to increase primary industries production to $30 billion annually by 2030. Currently our state production is averaging $23 to $24 billion a year. The Minister was clear that it was a deliberate whole of government strategy strongly endorsed by Cabinet and a recognition of the critical importance of the sector to the future prosperity and well-being of Queensland.

The Minister also acknowledged the critical role the Lockyer Valley and Somerset played in delivering regional and State food security as well as the strong alignment of our project to Prosper 2050. It is frankly hard to imagine the State hitting its 2030 target without a considerable contribution from the Lockyer Valley and Somerset region.

To deliver the strategy the government has outlined a 25-year blueprint. Over the next few months regional action plans for the first five years of the strategy will be developed. At the Minister’s suggestion, the Mayors have now formally requested our project be included in the five-year action plan for South East Queensland.

This is yet another positive step forward and further recognition of growing support for our project from the State.

Key stakeholder engagement highlights

Over August the project continued to engage with our priority stakeholders building awareness and support. At the top of the list has been the establishment of a new Senior Leadership Group involving the CEOs of both councils and the CEOs of Seqwater and Urban Utilities to provide direct input to the strategic and operational considerations of using the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme This is great initiative by the council CEOs and an indication of growing support for the project from both Seqwater and Urban Utilities.

We caught up with Queensland Farmers’ Federation chief executive officer Jo Sheppard who reaffirmed her organisation’s support for the project and reiterated the Government’s intent to ensure water in Queensland was put to its best possible use, with a particular focus in securing and firming up water for food production and supporting existing growers. This message is reiterated in the recent post by the Premier David Crisifulli below.

Our Chair meet and briefed new Senator for Queensland Corinne Mulholland. The footprint of our project is within the areas of SEQ that the Senator looks after for the Commonwealth Government. She is also a member of the Joint Standing Committee for Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport which has oversight over a number of Commonwealth departments including agriculture.  The Senator was extremely interested in our project, particular its focus on regional and state food security.

Our Mayors also met with the long-standing Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann, who indicated his strong support for the project and an offer to coordinate project engagement with key Federal Ministers.

It is worth noting that our project will also have the opportunity to brief the Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki as part of a Lockyer Valley Chamber of Commerce breakfast he is speaking at on 8 October 2025. If you are able to get to the breakfast, I encourage you to do so.

As we have said on many occasions, our project has benefits way beyond Lockyer Valley and Somerset. Our neighbours in places like Ipswich might not grow as much fruit and vegetables or have turf farms or poultry operations, but they are important for transport and logistics and food processing. They also benefit from the riparian health initiatives the project will deliver.

That’s why our Chair met and briefed Mayor of Ipswich Cr Teresa Harding. We took the opportunity to brief Mayor Harding on the project and on progress and discussed the potential mutual benefits for Ipswich – in areas such as jobs, economic development, food security and the environment. Ipswich is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities with a growing and highly skilled workforce.

Strategic Advisory Group update

It is the project’s pleasure to advise that Professor Ben Lyons from the University of Southern Queensland has agreed to become a member of our Strategic Advisory Group.

Ben is the director of the Southern Qld & Northern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub with a focus on building farmer resilience to the impacts of climate change on production and profit, including within SEQ.

 He joins a range of peak industry representatives helping to shape and guide our project. Other members include the peak industry body for fruit, vegetable and nut growers, Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers, the industry association for greenlife growers and retail nurseries, Greenlife Industry Queensland, the Queensland Farmers’ Federation, Regional Development Australia Ipswich and West Moreton, and the Council of Mayors of SEQ.

WHAT ELSE IS UP?

Andy Obrien - Pohlmans 

Anthony Stazz - Koala Farms 

Our Customer and Community Awareness Program is set to kick off today - Monday 29 September.

The four-month program is focused on identifying additional customers for our scheme as well as educating our communities on the benefits our project will deliver.

As part of the project, we have developed a new Facebook and LinkedIn sites. Please find links to the sites below and jump on and follow them.

In addition, we will also be utilising existing Facebook channels of both the Lockyer Valley and Somerset regional councils and the extensive reach these channels have.

Program content will include a new hero videos. A massive thanks to all of those who participated. Please find links to those videos below.

PROJECT UPDATES

Importantly Ricardo has also been previously involved in alternative pricing for the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme (WCRWS) and understand this asset and its operation.

Ricardo have recommended we seek prices that reflect marginal costs less avoided costs. The approach aligns with National Water Initiative pricing principles for recycled water which have been accepted by the Queensland Competition Authority in the past.

The approach recommended for allocating costs between Lockyer irrigators and others is “beneficiary pays’’ where the cost is borne by those who benefit.

The “beneficiary pays’’ approach in summary:

• Fixed capital costs and current operating costs of the WCRWS are already recognised as allocated to urban water users recognising the prime purpose of the WCRWS is insurance against drinking water drought.
• Growers pay marginal costs less avoided costs and any agreed government community service obligation (CSO) (Note 50% of the annual cost of SEQ irrigation schemes covered by the State via CSO)
• A CSO would ensure the lower bound price is efficient, aligns with pricing principles and covers the gap between capacity to pay and efficient prices.

It is worth noting that the precedent exists for government contributions to both capital and ongoing costs of recycled water where there is wider public benefit (e.g. Increased SEQ and Queensland food security).

DID YOU KNOW

Over 2023/24, the Australian horticultural production grew by 6.6% to 6.89 million tonnes, with the total production value reaching $17 billion, a 4.3% rise from the previous year. 

Other key findings from the Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2023/24 released earlier this year include:

• Exports reach record highs: Export volumes increased by 8.7%, while export values reached a record high of near $3 billion, led by almonds, citrus, macadamias, avocados, and summer fruit. 
• Record year for fruit production value: Fruit saw huge growth with berries, bananas and citrus all climbing substantially in value, citrus in particular breaking a new record and reaching more than $1 billion in value for the first time.  
• Domestic supply expands to keep up with demand: Fresh market supply expanded by 4.3%, supported by strong production in watermelons, avocados, strawberries, and potatoes. 
• Nuts make a comeback: Almond production value rose by 63.3%, and macadamias increased by 94.1%.