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One in six lose jobs on land
6 Apr 2004
About one in every six agricultural jobs in Queensland was lost in 2003, according to a State Treasury analysis of the effects of the drought. The report said employment in Queensland's agricultural sector fell by more than 17 per cent in 2003, more than twice the rate of the rest of Australia.
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk said yesterday the analysis highlighted the difference between the most recent drought and that of the 1990s. This drought touched all sectors of the industry and other businesses. It's had a huge flow-on effect to the economy in rural and regional Queensland, he stated.
Despite good rains in January, nearly two-thirds of Queensland's land area remains drought-affected, with 87 shires and parts of four other shires still on the state's drought-declared list.
While the gross value of agricultural production is expected to rebound in NSW and Victoria, Queensland's agricultural product values will probably remain stagnant this financial year. The state's largest agricultural industry - beef production - will take several years to recover from the drought.
The Courier-Mail, 6/4/04, page 9.
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