SPECULATION is growing that controversial new laws restricting how farmers manage vegetation on their properties will be introduced into Queensland Parliament this week, as early as today (Tuesday).
The embattled Palaszczuk Government is under growing pressure to rush through the anti-farmer laws through parliament with extreme green groups fearing an election could be called leaving the current Vegetation Management Act intact.
The attack on farmers comes despite AgForce last week exposing that the Queensland Government’s own Statewide Landcover and Trees Study report shows that while clearing rates had increased to 296,000 hectares in 2013-14, the amount of tree coverage across Queensland had actuallly increased by 437,000 hectares.
That report shows that trees are growing at a faster rate than which they are being cleared regardless of the impact of amendments the LNP made to the Vegetation Management Act.
While still to be detailed, the new laws to be introduced by Deputy Premier Jackie Trad are expected to wipe-out common sense amendments to the VMA introduced by the former LNP Government.
In whatever form, the Palaszczuk Government’s anti-farmer amendments are expected to remove self-assessable codes and the development of new high-value agriculture projects, and reintroduce nonsensical endangered regrowth mapping.
Ms Trad has also flagged a return of draconian reverse onus-of-proof laws which mean landholders suspected of breaching the law are assumed to be guilty under proven innocent.
The new laws are expected to be particularly damaging for the North Queensland which continues to struggle to develop its agricultural resource.
To support the Palaszczuk Government, extreme green group the Wilderness Society is planning a media stunt outside parliament at 9am today. That protest is timed for only hours before the Palaszczuk Government’s first opportunity to introduce its new laws as government business.
The stunt will involve pretend bulldozers chasing koalas and knocking down trees.
Wilderness Society Queensland campaign manager Tim Seelig said the stunt would be a mock-up of the famous running of the bulls event in Spain.
“The Queensland Government must act swiftly to stop tree clearing in the state,” Mr Seelig said.
“Queensland is clearing about 300,000 hectares of bushland each year, more than twice the size of the Brisbane City Council area. Millions of animals, including many koalas, are being killed, and millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere.
“Queensland’s tree clearing rates almost doubled in two years after the Newman LNP Government gutted the land-clearing laws, from 153,646 hectares in 2011-12 to 296,324ha in 2013-14, with emissions increasing from 22 million tonnes CO2e to 36Mt.
“Trees help protect our endangered wildlife, the Great Barrier Reef, our soils and our climate.”
Opposition natural resource spokesman Andrew Cripps said the LNP would vigorously oppose any new vegetation management laws introduced by the Palaszczuk Government.
“The amendments that the LNP brought in are fair and balanced,” Mr Cripps said.
“We will fiercely oppose any changes to the existing laws because they are not in the interests of Queensland.”
