INTENSIVE agriculture group the Queensland Farmers Federation has welcomed new laws to strengthen ground water protection and farmers rights to expert advice.
The QFF statement follows the passing of the Water Reform and Other and Legislation Amendment Bill (WROLA) and Environmental Protection (Underground Water Management) and Other Legislation Amendment (EPOLA) Bill through parliament.
According to QFF president Stuart Armitage the EPOLA Bill addressed deficiencies in the existing Water Reform and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 (WROLA), to better manage the environmental impacts of underground water extraction by the resources industry and to protect the interests of farmers whose groundwater could be impacted by resource industry activities.
Mr Armitage said he supported the government’s move to strengthen farmer’s rights by improving the existing ‘make good’ obligations under the underground water management framework.
“The new laws ensure landholders are able to negotiate on an even playing field and ensure that they are fairly compensated for impacts on the water resources they rely on,” Mr Armitage said.
Mr Armitage said the provisions sought to ensure:
- Bore owners had access to the professional hydrogeological advice, covering reasonable costs for the purposes of negotiating a make-good agreement.
- The removal of financial barriers to bore owners who take advantage of the alternative dispute resolution process.
- The provision of a cooling-off period to ensure that landholders can reflect with a cool head and ensure that they are not hurried into inappropriate make-good agreements.
“QFF has welcomed the introduction of a cooling-off periods for agreements, however is disappointed that this cooling off period appears to be limited to five business days instead of the minimum 10 day QFF recommended,” Mr Armitage said.
“A 10 day cooling off period would more appropriately take into consideration the disruptions to communication networks in regional areas and seasonal commitments farmers often have to contend with.
“QFF welcomes that “future” mining projects will have the environmental impacts of their groundwater take initially assessed under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 as part their environmental authority application.
“QFF commend the government for ensuring that groundwater use in Queensland remains sustainable for the mutual benefit of industry, the environment and the broader community.”
