QUEENSLAND farm groups have joined forces with the State Opposition to launch a statewide campaign against Labor's punitive new vegetation management laws.
Opposition natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps launched the petition in response to the Palaszczuk Labor Government's Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, in Townsville today.
AgForce president Grant Maudsley is the campaign’s principal petitioner. The petition is also supported by other farm groups including the Flinders Rover Ag Precinct.
The e-petition can be accessed here.
"The Palaszczuk Labor Government's rollback of the LNPs sensible vegetation management framework will remove property rights, reduce the productivity of the agricultural sector and threaten jobs in regional communities," Mr Cripps said.
"This petition is an easy yet influential way for Queenslanders to send a message to local MPs that they object to Labor's amendments and explain the negative impact they will have on landholders across the state.
"It's vitally important in this hung parliament that landholders speak up to ensure key crossbench MPs in particular understand how passionate the rural sector is about their ability to responsibly manage vegetation on their properties."
AgForce president Grant Maudsley said the petition provided a platform for Queenslanders concerned about the impact of the new laws to send a message to the Palaszczuk Government.
"These outrageous changes to the vegetation management framework are completely unacceptable. The laws will restrict supply and drive up food prices, stifle development and cost jobs, and mean farmers are guilty until they prove their innocence," Mr Maudsley said.
"Farmers work hard to ensure they manage their land sustainably and they need security and certainty for investment. These laws take away that certainty and economic security.
"I would encourage all Queenslanders concerned about regional jobs and the price of food to show their support for Queensland farmers and landholders whose livelihoods will be affected by the Palaszczuk Government's disastrous new laws."
Flinders River Ag Precinct (FRAP) project officer Sara Westaway said the proposed laws were having a direct impact on invesment confidence.
“We are in the middle of a water allocation tender process,” Ms Westaway said.
“However, investors and landholders are dealing with the uncertainty that changing these laws bring.
“This is no way to go about developing northern Australia.”
FRAP represents 125,000 hectares of country of which about 30,000ha could be developed for irrigated agriculture.
Mr Cripps said Queenslanders needed to be aware Labor's proposed amendments were more extensive and aggressive than simply overturning the LNP's 2013 changes.
"The Palaszczuk Labor Government plans to completely repeal the important High Value Agriculture and High Value Irrigated Agriculture pathways to development, threatening to bring Queensland's agriculture sector and future economic growth in regional Queensland to a screaming halt," he said.
"Freehold and indigenous freehold landowners will be stripped of their rights to manage regrowth vegetation and restrictions on vegetation management near watercourses will extend to the Eastern Cape York Peninsula, Fitzroy and Burnett/Mary catchments, impacting thousands of landholders for the first time.
"Landholders will also be considered guilty until proven innocent with the re-instatement of the reversal of the onus of proof and 'mistake of fact' will no longer be considered a defence for alleged offences involving vegetation management activities."
Paper petitions are also expected to be circulated throughout Queensland in coming months. The petition closes on August 12.
Written submissions to the Parliamentary Committee considering Labor's legislation close on April 25.
