FARMERS have copped a belting at the hands of the Palaszczuk Government after vegetation management laws were introduced to parliament last night.
A bitterly disappointed AgForce president Grant Maudsley said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is no friend of Queensland agriculture, ignoring its own data and backflipping on promised consultation.
In a clear indication of the willingness of the Palaszczuk Government to trample farmers, the controversial Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) Admendment Bill was not listed the government’s agenda of business yesterday. It was instead instead introduced under the cover of darkness just before 9.30pm in a move designed to catch the opposition off-guard.
The Palaszczuk Government also attempted to minimise the amount of time the bill will now spend before the Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee. After a marathon five hour debate which saw the independents Billy Gordon and Rob Pyne side with the LNP and Katter Party, that committee will now report back to parliament on June 30, rather than April 15 as had been demanded by Labor.
Farmers are now paying the high price of the Palaszczuk Government political deals with extreme green groups including the WWF and the Wilderness Society.
"There is no doubt the Premier is desperately trying to buy support of inner city green groups, ignoring her own data which shows an increase in wood coverage over the past three years," Mr Maudsley said.
"These laws take us back to the Beattie era reverse onus of proof provision, which means farmers are guilty until they prove their innocence.”
Mr Maudsley said the laws would also stifles development, particularly across North Queensland.
"The cost of producing food and fibre in Queensland will increase under the lock down of farming land, threatening to further restrict supply," Mr Maudsley said.
AgForce recently released a report showing tree coverage in Queensland had increased by 437,000 hectares over three years.
The report uses figures from the State Government's recently released Statewide Landcover and Trees Study Report 2012-14. That same report has been selectively used by both the Palaszczuk Government and green groups as justification for the new laws and to attack farmers.
"The government's attempt to link vegetation management to carbon emissions, koala numbers and the reef is a farce when you consider vegetation is continuing to increase," Mr Maudsley said.
"It is insulting and shows the Premier is focussed on rhetoric and not hard cold facts."
Key provisions opposed by AgForce include:
- Removing High Value Agriculture and Irrigated High Value Agriculture from the Vegetation Management Framework.
- Re-introducing Reverse Onus-of-Proof.
- That no compensation will be payable to HVA, IHVA and Property Map of Assessable Vegetation (PMAV) applicants during transitional arrangements.
- Including High Value Regrowth as an additional layer of regulation under the Vegetation Management Framework on leasehold, freehold and indigenous land.
- Increasing Category R vegetation to include the Burdekin, Mackay, Whitsunday and Wet Tropics Great Barrier Reef catchments and additional catchments Burnett Mary, Eastern Cape York and Fitzroy.
