Gamba money in the Budget
Good news! The Northern Territory Budget handed down this week has started to deliver on promises made during the election.
The Budget has funded this year’s Gamba Army, plus new efforts on gamba fire management, mapping gamba hotspots, and a little more cash to help landholders each year.
So far we know that the Budget includes these measures on gamba:
- $500,000 in funding for Territory NRM to start a Gamba Army in priority areas this control season
- $225,000 per year for the new Gamba Bushfire Mitigation Unit
- $100,000 for mapping priority infestations
- Ongoing funding of $100,000 per year for the Gamba Action Program, which provides herbicide and equipment to landholders
- Ongoing funding of $50,000 per year for a new gamba landholder assistance scheme – with more details still to come.
Our community has been asking for more gamba action for years, and this Budget is an important response to that community pressure – your pressure.
We’re so happy that the Gamba Army is helping to provide jobs at a time when Territorians need work. But it can’t be a one off.
We all know that you can’t get rid of gamba in a single season. If the Gamba Army is going to actually do the job of eradicating big infestations, it’s going to need to grow much bigger than providing 45 part-time jobs in just one control season.
Right now, there’s no funding in the Budget for a Gamba Army to continue next control season. But gamba seeds can stay viable for three years, or even longer. So we know we have work to do as this year’s Gamba Army is set up and gets to work.
The Gamba Army needs to work well this year, then come back even bigger next year.
But this week is a good week. The pressure is working. The commitments are actually starting to be delivered. The change is starting to happen.
Good luck on your blocks as the control season ramps up – and remember to book your gamba spraying equipment soon, if you need it this season.
Find out more: Territory NRM is now recruiting people for this season’s Gamba Army. If you’re interested in a paid role with the Gamba Army this year, you can contact Territory NRM here.
