As preparations begin for the Senate Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee inquiry into the state government's regulation of cane and cattle farming practices, signatures are still coming in for the Don't Cane our Farmers petition.
Although the petition and associated campaign being promoted by federal MP George Christensen and Senator Susan McDonald has been overtaken by the the Queensland government's punitive and impractical Great Barrier Reef laws being enacted, Senator McDonald said its purpose in uniting the city and the bush was still current.
She said the new laws were the latest in a litany of Labor decisions that displayed a "breathtaking" lack of understanding and refusal to acknowledge the work already being done in the sector to improve farming methods.
Ms McDonald said the flow-on effects of struggling primary industries in Queensland would also be a major drain on cities.
"Bigger coastal centres like Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton and even Brisbane are major service hubs for thousands of farming operations, so any attack on farmers will hurt the cities," she said.
"Farming is a natural part of life, and in many parts of Queensland it also means jobs on our farms, in our sugar mills, feedlots, in transport and at our ports.
"Not to mention the many other businesses that service the industry, such as mechanics, boilermakers, farm machinery dealerships and irrigation suppliers.
Ms McDonald said on Monday she had similar concerns around the Palaszczuk government's regulations regarding fisheries management and was investigating ways of including Queensland fishing laws in the Senate inquiry, due to report in October 2020.
The Queensland Seafood Industry Association has criticised new quota and zone rules being implemented by the state government, saying an estimated 15-30 per cent of the state's commercial fishing fleet will be rendered unviable.
Read more: New regulations will cull fishing families
The peak body said the new rules were coming despite the state government's own review of fish stocks finding just three commercial species - scallops, snapper and pearl perch - were being overfished.
The QSIA said that in 2016/17, wild harvest of Queensland seafood was worth about $192.9 million, while commercial fishing in Queensland supported an estimated 2000 direct and indirect jobs.
It cited a study showing Australia has one of the world's largest fishable zones but one of the lowest takes of wild seafood.
Meanwhile, Australia imports 70pc of its seafood.
Ms McDonald said the fishing industry had been pleading for the state government to fund detailed data and evidence collection on commercial fishing's impact on fish stocks, but the state had cried poor.
"When Annastacia Palaszczuk announced $250 million in government staff bonuses last week, the fishing industry's representative on the government's East Coast Inshore Fishery Working Group quit the role in disgust - the second one to do so," she said.
"I'm deeply concerned that this government is ashamed of these important industries and treats them with a sort of cultural cringe. It would rather we imported food than grow it or catch it."
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
