The state government has announced plans to release new farmland in the Ord River irrigation area, and to call for proposals for the development of additional areas, after the project gained federal environmental approval.
Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls said project manager LandCorp would in late October conduct a Request for Proposals process for lots in the Weaber Plains development.
"The land release will suit a range of purchasers from large farming conglomerates to family businesses, both nationally and internationally and represents a major centrepiece of the Ord-East Kimberley Development Plan,” Mr Grylls said in a statement.
The Minister said the state government would simultaneously seek expressions of interest for future expansion in the Ord West Bank and Knox Plains areas.
"We are looking for private sector proponents to work with Government to obtain the required approvals over these areas to develop for agricultural use in the medium to long term. This will ensure the Ord River Irrigation Area fulfils its true potential,” he said.
The $220 million expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme was one of premier Colin Barnett's top infrastructure priorities when he won office three years ago, but has been delayed by the environmental approval process.
Work on the project commenced in May 2010, and the state government predicted then that the first blocks would be avalable by the end of 2011, "following envronmental approvals".
That approval was finally granted on Wednesday by federal environment minister Tony Burke, who approved the expansion with strict conditions to protect threatened species such as Gouldian finches and sawfish.
The Weaber Plain Development Project will expand the Ord irrigation area from 14,000 to 22,000 hectares, for irrigated agriculture and related infrastructure.
"While I have considered the significant economic and social benefits of this project, my focus has been on protecting environmental matters of national significance through strict conditions to manage any potential environmental impacts," Mr Burke said on Wednesday.
The WA government will have to comply with the conditions, including consulting with independent experts to develop and implement management plans to ensure protection of species protected under national environmental law, he said.
One conservation plan will be for the endangered Gouldian finch to ensure populations are monitored and no active breeding habitat for the species is removed.
To protect threatened sawfish and shark species in the Northern Territory's Keep River, the conditions require careful management of groundwater associated with farm lots, with discharges of water into the river to be closely monitored.
"I am satisfied that sustainable agriculture and threatened species can co-exist provided the strict conditions I have imposed under national environmental law are implemented," Mr Burke said.
