THE Palaszczuk government will introduce its controversial new vegetation management laws to parliament on Wednesday night.
MPs were told on Monday afternoon that the debate of the Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 would start at 7.30pm on Wednesday and most likely continue on Thursday.
The sure to be fiery debate will be streamed live on the Queensland Parliament website.
Labor’s debate will be led by deputy premier Jackie Trad, who like environment minister Steven Miles representing Mount Coot-tha, relies on green preferences to hold her inner city South Brisbane seat. Opposition natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps, who is the architect of the existing laws, will be returning fire for the LNP.
However, it it is no certain thing that the minority Labor government has the numbers to get its divisive anti-agriculture legislation over the line.
There appear to be two schools of thought as to why the Palaszczuk government is refusing to compromise on its draconian new laws, despite their condemnation by farm and legal groups.
The first is that the government may have already secured the support of both independent member for Cook, Billy Gordon, and independent speaker Peter Wellington and will have the bill passed into law on the back of Mr Wellington’s casting vote.
The second, and more likely, is that the government is adopting a crash through or crash approach to in an attempt to appease the Labor-aligned extreme green groups. If the laws are passed, Labor will argue its has repaid its debt owed to the extreme green groups for their support during the 2015 election campaign.
The Labor-aligned Wilderness Society is also set to flex its political muscle, and will stage a rally in support of Labor’s laws outside parliament house on Wednesday morning. Labor will be hoping that rally will gain significant media coverage in Brisbane on the Wednesday night, influencing the debate on Thursday.
If the laws fail, Labor would then take vegetation management as a core issue to the next election.
Sadly for Queensland in general and agriculture in particular, the Palaszczuk government will continue to bash farmers, painting them as environment vandals. It is a proven winner for Labor at the ballot box, refined by former premier Peter Beattie and also used by his successor Anna Bligh.
Farmers may well win this week’s battle. However, Labor and its extreme green comrades are planning a long, and as demonstrated, dirty war.
