KILKIVAN graziers Ben and Teresa Day say their farm business will cut by two-thirds when the Palaszczuk Government locks them out of 6397-hectares of lease country, some of which their family has grazed since the 19th century.
The Days are one of almost 80 leaseholders with agricultural, grazing and pastoral land within a nature conservation area or a specified national park they are being booted off land to appease the Palaszczuk Government’s entrenched green political supporters.
“There has been no environmental studies and certainly no consultation,” Mrs Day said.
“All we have been told is we will be locked out from 2020.
“In all that time we have never had any concerns or issues raised by anyone. In fact it’s always been the opposite. All we have ever had is good reports about how we have managed the country and maintained the tracks and waters for the benefit of both of the country and the wildlife`
“Forcing us of this lease doesn’t have anything to do with the environment. It’s all political as far as we can see.”
The Days run about 150 cattle on heavily timbered country that was reclassified as national park under the former Beattie administration. Prior to 2007 the country was the Marodian Forest Reserve which was logged and managed for its valuable timber reserves.
Mrs Day said the impact of losing the country would be dramatic on the family business. She expected her husband would be forced to find off-farm work and her parents Rhonda and Russell Wason would be pushed onto the pension.
A portion of the country was taken up in 1878 with the remainder of the 6397-hectares of lease country granted in the 1960s.
“It is heavily timbered, sandy country that doesn’t hold surface water in dry times,” Mrs Day said.
“Without the waters there will be no water for wildlife and unless the grass is managed it will become a bushfire hazard as is already happening on other country where leaseholders have been forced off.”
Mrs Day it was difficult to see the logic in the Palaszczuk Government’s policy.
“The way it there is there are 150 cattle running on 6000ha without any impact,” Mrs Day said.
“As a direct consequence of allowing us to run cattle, both the country and the wildlife is effectively managed at no cost to the state.
“It is ridiculous to think that locking up this country is good environmental management.”
Despite the sustainability of cattle and the management of the landscape by graziers Environment Minister Stephen Miles said cattle and national parks were incompatible.
“Cattle cause substantial compaction and erosion to these native habitats so the longer you leave cattle within these areas, the more opportunity there is to do damage to those rare and threatened species populations,” Dr Miles said.
Opposition environment spokesman Steve Bennett said 78 leases were caught up in Labor’s new legislation contained in the Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Bill.
“Holders of these grazing leases to at the very least be allowed to appeal any decision on their leases being cancelled because Dr Miles wants to refuse them even that basic right,” Mr Bennett said.
“They are being denied that basic right.”
