Property Rights Australia (PRA) has called on the Federal Government to reconsider all options before proceeding with its current proposal to compulsory acquire productive agricultural land to meet obligations to the Singapore Government under the Singapore Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Dale Stiller, Chairman of PRA said the government needed to acknowledge that the proposal would not only have a profound impact on the landowners targeted to be removed from their land, but also on the wider community and agricultural production.
Mr Stiller said current defence acquisition of a large area expanding both the Shoalwater Bay and Townsville military training areas demonstrated how all levels of government needed to considerably improve how they approach rural landowners.
“There is a widespread lack of understanding by decision makers and those that implement these decisions - politicians and public servants - of the agricultural productivity differences between different land/soil types,” he said.
“With productivity vastly greater on superior land types, it should be an imperative that governments firstly target low quality soil types for urban expansion, mining and petroleum activity, infrastructure and military use.”
Greater respect needs to be afforded to landowners asked to make sacrifice apparently for the greater good.
“Compensation based on valuation of the land asset alone, does not make up for what is often of much greater value to a landowner.
“Money, time, and sweat has often gone into building a productive property, often over generations, bonding a close connection to that land.”
Another approach Mr Stiller said all levels of government need to urgently reassess was an appreciation of the subtle differences between how rural communities collectively operate against what occurs in urban communities.
“There is a collective local knowledge over a wide geographic area,” he said.
“If government approaches a local community with what the need is and provides the opportunity for input, local knowledge can result in a practical outcome avoiding many pitfalls not even considered from a desk in a capital city.”
Mr Stiller said he understood that landholders in the Townsville/ Charters Towers group had largely decided that they did not wish sell and have offered an alternative solution of a large area of land of lesser agricultural value.
The Shoalwater Bay/ Marlborough group will have a community meeting in the New Year to discuss all options.
Mr Stiller said that PRA would support these communities and any decisions they make.
“PRA believes the government should make every effort to fully explore any suggested alternatives,” he said.
“All levels of government are too keen make headlines announcing deals with multinational companies and foreign governments.
“It would appear that the attraction of millions (or billions) of dollars blindside consideration of the people, their property rights, local economic disadvantage and amenity of life.
“Government should consider the interests of communities and landowners first, not last. People should not be seen as simply an impediment to implementing what has already been decided.”
