The Queensland Government is calling on the state’s irrigators to take part in the local management review of the State’s eight irrigation schemes.

State Water Supply Minister, Mark McArdle,said that the Government is now calling for expressions of interest for eight interim boards.

“The interim boards will comprise up to five skills-based members (including the Chair), and two members will be independent or non-irrigator representatives,” Mr McArdle said.

Mr McArdle said that the hunt for the new board would mark the beginning of the second phase that would see SunWater channel schemes come under consideration, including Bundaberg, Burdekin, Emerald, Eton, Lower Mary, Mareeba, St George and Theodore, which collectively involve 2,500 customers, irrigating 150,000 hectares of farmland, via more than 2,500 kilometres of channels, pipelines and drains.

Dirranbandi irrigator and National Water Commissioner Leith Boully chaired the independent working group that, in stage one of the project, found that SunWater and the irrigators were committed to undertaking detailed investigations of local management options.

Ms Boully will also lead an independent project team to help the interim boards prepare their business proposals.

Mr McArdle said to be successful, the proposals would need to demonstrate how local management would ensure long-term sustainability, be in the best interests of the scheme customers and the State, and would contribute to the Newman Government’s vision of building agriculture as one of the four pillars of the economy.

“The interim boards will submit their business proposals in November 2013 for consideration by government,” he said.