Majura Valley farmers say they’re in ‘no-man’s land’ after ACT government promise on lease deals stalls
Farmers in the Majura Valley says ongoing uncertainty is putting their livelihoods under threat and pushing them to breaking point. The ACT government has failed to deliver on a promise to grant Majura Valley landholders new 25-year leases.
Transcript
00:00 Paul Kier's family has been farming this land in the Majuro Valley for five generations,
00:07 so deciding to sell up wasn't an easy decision.
00:11 The ACT government wouldn't allow me to sell it and move on, even though somebody just
00:15 wanted to come and stand in my position here.
00:17 Paul's land is leased from the ACT government, and them barring the sale means that in the
00:22 eyes of his bank, his property is worthless.
00:26 They started tapping on my shoulder and wanted my money because basically I didn't have any
00:32 land here to back up my loan.
00:34 It's a problem that's also affecting other farmers in the valley, but could be solved
00:38 if the ACT government offered longer term leases.
00:41 The landholders have been operating off one year leases since 2005, and after long negotiations
00:48 thought they'd finally reached a deal for 25 year leases.
00:52 A lot of people have passed away in this valley in that time, on farms that really would have
00:59 loved security I think, and would have taken weight off their mind.
01:05 But they now say the government's failing to deliver on the promise, refusing to provide
01:09 the deal in writing so they can secure their loans.
01:13 Nobody will talk to us, nobody will have us in for a meeting and let us know we're up
01:17 to.
01:18 Across the road, egg farmer Anne McGrath is in the same predicament.
01:21 At one point I was probably working four jobs to keep things going along.
01:27 Farmers in the valley desperately want to invest in their land and make it a haven for
01:31 food security, agritourism and environmental conservation.
01:35 They're interested in agritourism and really building this industry for Canberra, our bush
01:40 capital, but don't have that certainty to put the money behind their farms to make it
01:46 happen.
01:46 The ACT government says the delay is because this land is currently owned by the Commonwealth
01:51 Department of Defence and needs to be transferred to the territory.
01:56 The ACT government forecast that would take around nine months and now it's nearing double
02:01 that.
02:02 In any other business this wouldn't happen.
02:04 You'd have to converse with people and you'd have to engage them and let them know what's
02:08 going on.
02:10 In government they can just wipe you.
02:12 For now Paul must live with the knowledge his bank could foreclose any day.
02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]