Stock Routes
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Council manages the parts of the stock route network located with in the Maranoa Regional Council Boundary.
The new Stock Route Management Regulation 2023 (the Regulation) introduces several changes
including new travel and agistment permit fees.The Regulation is subordinate legislation to the Stock Route Management Act 2002 (the Act), the primary legislation for administering stock routes in Queensland.
More information on Stock Route Management Regulations can be found here
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A stock route is a road or route ordinarily used for travelling stock or declared under a regulation to be a stock route
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A person may drive stock on foot on relevant land in a local government’s area without a stock route travel permit if the stock are driven on foot— (a) for not more than 1 day; and (b) in clear daylight hours; and (c) for animal husbandry or property management purposes; and (d) between parcels of land having common ownership or worked as a single unit.
Please note, while you may not need a travel permit for these movements, you may require additional approval from Department of Transport and Main Roads or Council. If you are planning to move stock under this exception, please contact Council's Rural Lands Team, via 1300 007 662 and advise. Also, note that it will still be necessary to ensure appropriate signage is used
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To apply for a Stock Route Travel permit, please complete the Department of Resourcees application form and return it to Council. The form and additional information can be found here.
Please ensure that your application is accompanied by a copy of a certificate of Currency for your public liability with a minimum cover of $20,000,000. Your insurance certificate must also note the Department of Resources and Council as interested parties, and indemnify Council and the Department of Resources.
Permit applications take 7 days to assess.
If your permit is for more than 2 days duration, your application must be accompanied by an application fee.
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The new Stock Route Management Regulation 2023 (the Regulation) introduces several changes
including new travel and agistment permit fees.New stock route permit fees and application fee were placed into effect on 1 July 2023.
More information on fees from the new Stock Route Management Reguation 2023 can be found here
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If you are not satisfied with Council's decision to issue, refuse or place conditions on a permit, you can ask for a review of the decision by the Queensland Government Department of Resources. Further information can be found here.
Agistment Permits
Agistment permits are intended to be used as a short term reprieve from the effects of drought, fire or flood to help graziers in times of hardship, – not for longer term agistment. Stock route agistment permits are intended to allow reasonable time for a landowner to develop and implement long-term options for their stock. In issuing stock route agistment permits council must keep in mind that the intention is to ensure all landowners have equal access to the stock route network in difficult times, while providing opportunity for pasture recovery that ensures sustainable ongoing use of the network.
Stock route agistment permits are only issued if satisfied that the relevant land contains more pasture and water than is needed for use by travelling stock. This helps ensure that these natural resources are sustained and higher quality pasture species are protected.
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You are eligible for a grazing (agistment) permit if you:
- are a landowner whose land is adversely affected by drought, fire or flood (Maximum 28 days) or
- hold a stock route travel permit and wish to temporarily cease travelling to brand, crutch, dip, drench, jet, shear (Maximum 7 days) or
- truck the stock under control, or spell the stock to comply with an obligation imposed by animal welfare legislation (Maximum 7 days) or
- are responding to a notice by local government inviting applications for agistment of stock. (Maximum 28 days).
You are not eligible to apply if you have held a grazing (agistment) permit for the land in the 3 months immediately before the date of application.
You do not need to reside in the local government area where the application is submitted.
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To apply for a Stock Route Agistment permit, please complete the Department of Resources application form and return it to Council. The form and additional information can be found here.
Please ensure that your application is accompanied by a copy of a certificate of Currency for your public liability with a minimum cover of $20,000,000. Your insurance certificate must also note the Department of Resources and Council as interested parties, and indemnify Council and the Department of Resources.
Your application should also be accompanied by a sketch showing the area of land over which you wish to agist.
Permit applications take 7 days to assess.
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Permits issued for animal husbandry or welfare purposes for travelling stock are issued for a maximum of 7 days, and cannot be renewed.
Permits issued to landholders whose property is affected by fire, flood or drought OR who are responding to an advertisement from Council advising that agistment is available are issued for a maximum of 28 days. Permit holders may apply for an extension of their permit once only for an additional maximum period of 28 days. This application for extension must be received before the initial permit expires.
Once a permit has expired, the landholder cannot apply for a permit over this area of land for a period of 3 months.
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Fees are reviewed annually by the Department of Resources. Currently the fees are:
Type of stock Fee per head per week Large stock $2.97 (min) to $5.83 (max) inc GST Small stock $2.12 (min) to $4.24 (max) inc GST -
If you are not satisfied with Council's decision to issue, refuse or place conditions on a permit, you can ask for a review of the decision by the Queensland Government Department of Resources. Further information can be found here.
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- Grazing stock on the stock route network without a permit or approval.
- Damaging a travelling stock facility on the stock route network (damage includes hinder the usual operation of the facility).
- Wasting or polluting water from a water facility on the stock route network.
- Taking water from a water facility on the stock route network other than under a water facility agreement or a permit.
- Camping within 300m of a water facility on the stock route network.
- Obstructing movement of stock
Examples of obstructing the movement of travelling stock include:- Building a fence
- locking a gate
- using vehicles or animals to prevent stock movement
- making noise to alarm stock.
- Burning pasture on the stock route network.
- Removing pasture on the stock route network (cutting and baling pasture for hay, slashing long grass, ploughing etc.).
- Placing things on the stock route network if the thing is likely to harm stock travelling on the network (such as an animal carcass or part of the carcass, a car body, old fencing, wire or rope) - harm includes obstruct or otherwise interfere with.
Water Agreements
Council manages a number of state owned Stock Route Water Facilities across the Maranoa Region. These are facilities owned by the state government with the primary purpose of providing water for travelling stock. These facilities include bores, dams and tanks.
Landholders nearby to these facilities may seek to access water from a stock route facility. There are a number of different methods for taking water from a stock route, including:
- Piping water from the facility to the landholders property
- Watering stock at the facility (Note – This only applies where a landholder holds a lease or permit for grazing the land adjacent to the facility)
- Carting water from the facility.
A landholder who wishes to take water from a stock route water facility must apply for a Water Agreement.
Further information regarding water facility agreements, and the application form can be found at the Department of Resources website.
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Council owns and operates a number of community water facilities that supply water to stakeholders outside of the reticulated town supply area. These water facilities are located at:
- Hodgson Community Water Facility
- Eumamurrin Community Water Facility
- Noonga Community Water Facility
- Teelba Community water Facility
- Begonia Community water Facility.
Council also owns the Bargunyah Bore, which is primarily constructed for the supply of water for roadworks, but is also available for an offtake.
Fact sheets for these facilities can be found here:
- {Hodgson bore offtake spec}
- {Offtake agreement sheet}
- {High capacity offtake sheet}
To apply for an offtake from a community water facility, please complete the application form here {applic form}and return to the Rural lands Team for processing.