PROCEEDINGS OF THE AUSTRALIAN RANGELAND SOCIETY BIENNIAL CONFERENCE Official publication of The Australian Rangeland Society Copyright and Photocopying © The Australian Rangeland Society 2012. All rights reserved. For non -personal use, no part of this item may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the Australian Rangeland Society and of the author (or the organisation they work or have worked for). Permission of the Australian Rangeland Society for photocopying of articles for non -personal use may be obtained from the Secretary who can be contacted at the email address, rangelands.exec @gmail.com For personal use, temporary copies necessary to browse this site on screen may be made and a single copy of an article may be downloaded or printed for research or personal use, but no changes are to be made to any of the material. 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Disclaimer The Australian Rangeland Society and Editors cannot be held responsible for errors or any consequences arising from the use of information obtained in this article or in the Proceedings of the Australian Rangeland Society Biennial Conferences. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Rangeland Society and Editors, neither does the publication of advertisements constitute any endorsement by the Australian Rangeland Society and Editors of the products advertised. fie cljulhacCin c.Ran9Eranct cSociEty ISSN 1323 -6660 The Australian Rangeland Society 9th Biennial Conference CONFERENCE PAPERS `Focus on the Future-the Heat is On!' September 24-27, 1996 Port Augusta, South Australia The production of these Conference Papers has been achieved through the generous sponsorship of the Meat Research Corporation Meat 1M7Research Corporation © Australian Rangeland Society 1996 CONFERENCE PAPERS 9th Biennial Australian Rangeland Conference `Focus on the Future-the Heat is On!' September 24-27, 1996 Port Augusta, South Australia Edited by L.P. Hunt and R. Sinclair SPONSORS The Organising Committee for the 9th Australian Rangeland Society Conference acknowledges the generous sponsorship provided by: Western Mining Corporation (Copper Uranium Division) (our major sponsor) Primary Industries, South Australia The Pastoral Board of South Australia Cattle Compensation Fund S Kidman Holdings Pty Ltd AACM International Pty Ltd Ansett Australia ETSA Power Corporation ORGANISING COMMITTEE Ms Carolyn Ireland (University of Adelaide) - Chairperson Dr Leigh Hunt (PISA) - Deputy Chairperson Mrs Sarah Nicolson (Middleback Station) - Secretary Mr Jason Ferris (Intercomm) - Finance and Registration Dr Martin Andrew (AACM) Mr Craig Baulderstone (DENR) Mr Don Blesing (Ramsyn) Ms Jenny Bourne (PISA) Mrs Anne Collins Mr Paul Erkelenz (PISA) Mr Brendan Lay (DENR) Ms Vicki Linton (PISA) Mr John Maconochie (DENR) Mr Garry MacPhie (PISA) Mr Daniel Matthews (PISA) Ms Dionne Maywald (University of Adelaide) Mrs Heather Miller Mr David Powell (PISA) Ms Merri Tothill (PISA) Mr Rodger Tynan (DENR) Mr Ali Valamanesh (University of Adelaide) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Australian Rangeland Society's 9th Biennial Conference at Port. Augusta has been made possible by the contributions of numerous individuals and organisations. Many of those who form the Organising Committee are private individuals or postgraduate students at The University of Adelaide and, as such, have given enormous amounts of their own time at their own expense. Other committee members wish to acknowledge the support provided by their respective employers: Primary Industries (South Australia), the Pastoral Management Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Intercomm Scientific Event Coordination and AACM International. We would also like to thank Jim Cawthorne of Primary Industries (SA), who chaired the Organising Committee for the first 12-15 months. Members of the Committee also wish to acknowledge the support ofAnderson's Dancers (for assistance with conference facilities), Port Augusta City Council, Augusta Park Primary School and the Friends of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens. The Program Committee has received invaluable assistance from Barney Foran (CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology), Jim Hirsch (Primary Industries SA), Amanda Johnson (SA Department of Information Industries), Cate McKenzie (Environment Protection Agency, Canberra) and Helen Klieve (Queensland Department of Primary Industries). CONFERENCE PROGRAM Page Tuesday 24th September OPENING SESSION 8.50 am Welcome by Carolyn Ireland, Chairperson, Organising Committee 8.55 am Official Opening: Dr Ron Hacker, President ARS 11 `Focus on the Future - The Heat is On' 9.10 am Introduction to the Program, its purpose, relationship to the National Strategy for Rangeland Management, and conference format /process: Dr Martin Andrew. VISION STATEMENTS Chairperson: Mr Don Blesing 9.20 am Community Concerns - the Vision Leading to the National 14 Rangeland Management Strategy Dr Graeme Robertson (National Rangeland Management Working Group and Agriculture WA) 9.50 am Sustaining Cultural Values: a Vision for the Future 19 Ms Lois O'Donoghue (ATSIC) 10.20 am Morning Tea 10.50 am Enhancing Conservation Values: a Vision for the Future 20 Mr Phillip Toyne (Environmental Strategies Unit, DEST) 11.20 am Recognising Production Values: a Vision for the Future 25 A Mining Industry Perspective Mr Pearce Bowman (Western Mining Corporation) 11.40 am Scenario for a Cattle Property in the Australian Rangelands 50 Years 30 Down the (Birdsville) Track Mr David Brook (Cordillo and Adria Downs Stations, Birdsville) 12.00 noon Lunch 1.00 pm GROUP SESSION 1 - DEVELOP RANGELAND SCENARIOS FROM CORE ASSUMPTIONS 2.30 pm Afternoon Tea 3.00 pm POSTER SESSION 1 View poster presentations 5 TOPIC SPEAKERS Chairperson: Dr Martin Andrew 4.00 pm Transition to Sustainable Use of Rangelands - What Economists 31 Could Contribute Dr Nick Abel (CSIRO, Canberra) 4.20 pm Sustainable Management - A Pastoralist's View 36 Mr Andrew Nicolson (Middleback Station, Whyalla) 4.40 pm Questions from the floor. 4.50 -5.00 pm CLOSE (Dr Martin Andrew) Housekeeping, plans for Wednesday 5.30 pm OPENING OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARID LANDS BOTANIC GARDEN Everyone welcome. 6.30 pm BBQ Dinner at the Port Augusta Race CIub Wednesday 25th September 8.00 am Tea /Coffee. Move to groups. 8.30 am GROUP SESSION 2 - IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES 10.00 am Morning Tea TOPIC SPEAKERS (contd)Chairperson: Dr Martin Andrew 10.30 am Living in the Rangelands: Servicing People's Needs 39 Ms Robyn Tredwell, Telstra /ABC Rural Woman of the Year (Birdwood Downs, Derby) 10.50 am Towards a Communications Led Rural Renaissance 43 Mr Bood Hickson (Cloncurry Computer Consultants) 11.10 am Questions from the floor. 11.20 am GROUP SESSION 3 - IDENTIFY NEEDS 12.35 pm Lunch 1.35 pm POSTER SESSION 2 View poster presentations TOPIC SPEAKERS (contd)Chairperson: Mr Brendan Lay 2.30 pm Regional Development: Translating Resource Values into 47 Regional Benefits Prof. John Holmes (University of Queensland) 6 2.50 pm Maintaining Biodiversity in Australian Rangelands 52 Dr Craig James (CSIRO, Alice Springs), J. Landsberg and S. Morton (CSIRO, Canberra) 3.10 pm Questions from the floor. 3.25 pm GROUP SESSION 4 - DEVELOP STRATEGIES 5.00 pm CLOSE (Mr Brendan Lay) Housekeeping, arrangements for field trips 5.15 - 6.00 pm GENERAL MEETING OF THE AUSTRALIAN RANGELAND SOCIETY 7.30 pm Conference Dinner At the Port Augusta Race Club Thursday 26th September FIELD TRIPS 8.30 am Meet at the Lea Memorial Hall to board buses for field trips 1.00 pm Afternoon field trip to meet at the Lea Memorial Hall 5.30 pm BBQ Dinner at `Spear Creek', in the Flinders Ranges Friday 27th September 8.00 am Tea /Coffee 8.30 am OPEN FORUM Chairperson: Mr Garry MacPhie 8.36 am A Comparison of the Effects of Cell Grazing and Continuous 56 Grazing on Botanical Composition Judi Earl (University of New England, Armidale) 8.48 am Managing Stock Numbers During and After Drought 60 Rosemary Buxton and Mark Stafford Smith (CSIRO, Alice Springs) 9.00 am Shrub Population Regulation in Semi -Arid Woodlands Before 62 and After European Settlement Jim Noble (CSIRO, Canberra) 9.12 am Relationships Between Waters, Fencelines, Biomass and 66 Large Herbivores in South -West Queensland Robyn Cowley (Dept Natural Resources, Charleville), R.W. Rogers and J.J. Mott (University of Queensland) 7 9.24 am Linking Landuse and Management with Ecological 70 Sustainability in a Regional Planning Framework J. Bellamy (CSIRO, Brisbane), D. Burnside (Agriculture WA, Perth) and P. Price (LWRRDC, Canberra) 9.36 am Sexual Lability