NORTH Wanneroo growers facing proposed water licence cuts are holding a meeting tomorrow evening at the Wanneroo Tavern function centre.
North Wanneroo Resident’s Association (NWRA) chairman Mark Zagar said the water licence cuts would destroy jobs and the local economy, all land values, livelihoods and assets.
Mr Zagar said many growers were the founding families of Wanneroo and they deserved better treatment.
He said the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation intended to cut all water licences by 10 per cent to 25 per cent and investigate charging for recycled water.
In the lead up to last year’s federal election in May the North Wanneroo Resident’s Association and its members met with Pearce election candidates to express their concerns and seek their support.
Mr Zagar, whose family have farmed in Nowergup since 1967, said a 10 per cent reduction in water available to growers meant they would be unlikely to survive and multinational companies would be the only ones able to take advantage of a proposed agri-precinct in state forest 65 in north Wanneroo.
Liberal candidate for Wanneroo Paul Miles, Opposition Planning spokesman Tjorn Simba and Opposition Water spokesman David Honey will be attending tomorrow night’s meeting.
In 2017 the McGowan Government set up the North Wanneroo Agriculture and Water Taskforce to bring together government and industry stakeholders to consider issues stopping horticultural development in Carabooda, Nowergup and Neerabup.
The job of the taskforce was to consider options for water efficient horticulture, impacts of climate change, ways to support new horticultural development and creating land and water security to facilitate investment.
In January last year Nowergup resident and Wanneroo MLA Sabine Winton, who chaired the taskforce, said the government had struck a balance between meeting the needs of growers and ensuring long-term water sustainability for the wider community.
But the government’s proposal has not satisfied growers and last year NWRA organised a petition – with more than 1000 signatures – which was presented to the Legislative Council on December 3.
The meeting starts at 6pm.
