Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
New jobs and agricultural diversity are set to flow to the Tamar Valley as the 24,500-megalitre Tamar Irrigation Scheme takes another important step towards construction.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government continues to invest in irrigation and water surety to support the State’s growing agriculture sector and we are commissioning more irrigation schemes than any other state, making us the envy of the country.
Today I joined Tasmanian Irrigation and members of local farming communities on the Archer family’s Landfall property to launch the Preferred Option Design for the estimated $288 million Tamar Irrigation Scheme, which covers an area of 89,000 hectares.
This design centres on harvesting water sustainably from the Trevallyn Dam and delivering this high-surety irrigation water via 240 kilometres of pipeline and five pump stations to landowners located on the East Tamar in areas like Lilydale, Hillwood, Pipers River and Pipers Brooks and on the West Tamar at Rowella, Beaconsfield, Legana and Westwood.
Once operational in 2025-26, it is forecast that the Tamar Irrigation Scheme will create more than 600 direct and indirect jobs.
Additional on-farm investment is already being planned, with some farmers planning to double the area planted to berries and expand operations across the dairy, fruit, vineyard, livestock and cropping sectors in the region.
This project is one of the many Tranche Three irrigation schemes being developed by Tasmanian Irrigation that play a vital role in assisting the Tasmanian Government reach its target of increasing the farm gate value of the State’s agricultural sector to $10 billion a year by 2050.
The Tasmanian Government continues to work cooperatively with the Australian Government and local farming communities to deliver irrigation projects across the State as we continue to roll out Tranche Three projects including; the Don, Northern Midlands, Sassafras Wesley Vale and the estimated $370 million South East scheme, which will be the biggest irrigation project in Tasmania’s history, expected to deliver more than 40,000 Megalitres annually, supporting a further estimated $150 million in on-farm investment, with the potential to create more than 2,000 local jobs.
We are also working closely with the Australian Government to progress the development of a Business Case for an estimated $300 million Southern Midlands Irrigation scheme, which will deliver a similar economic benefit to the heart of Tasmania.
