Howard’s plan: move nation’s food bowl
Lachlan Murdoch and Noel Pearson in Howard govt taskforce to examine how to shift nation’s food bowl from drought-ravaged south to northern Australia
According to The Australian, (02/05/2007, p.6), Lachlan Murdoch, a director of News Corporation, owner of The Australian, and Noel Pearson, an indigenous leader and director of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership were among other prominent figures appointed to a Howard government taskforce charged with examining how to shift the nation’s food bowl from the drought-ravaged south to northern Australia.
Taskforce on land and water development: Howard had appointed a Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce – headed by his close associate, Senator Bill Heffernan – to examine opportunities to develop further land and water development in a more heavily populated deep north. The taskforce will advise the Government on all water sources in northern Australia, including the Fitzroy River catchment and Gulf of Carpentaria drainage area.
To identify opportunities for future agri development: The taskforce has been asked to identify opportunities "with particular emphasis on the identification of the capacity of the north to play a role in future agricultural development".
Final report by March 2009: The public and interested groups will be able to make submissions to the inquiry, due to complete an interim report before the end of the year and a final report by March 2009.
MP Tollner and Nats’ Ron Boswell also included: Other members include tourism and hotel leader David Baffsky as well as Country Liberal Party MP Dave Tollner and Nationals Senate leader Ron Boswell.
