THE Palaszczuk Government is continuing to pander to green activists and overseas bureaucrats while refusing to consult with Queensland’s farmers and landholders on vegetation management says opposition natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps.
Mr Cripps said Deputy Premier Jackie Trad’s media statement following another meeting with UNESCO was clear evidence that the Palaszczuk government was continuing to manipulate environmental issues for political gain.
“We’ve had AgForce, the QFF and Growcom all issue statements calling for greater certainty about vegetation management legislation to increase confidence and attract new investment in agriculture, but Labor has again turned its back on the bush,” Mr Cripps said.
“Jackie Trad went to Bonn last year to make promises to UNESCO and she’s gone to Paris this year to make more promises to UNESCO. But as usual, the Palaszczuk Government has left Queensland’s farmers and landholders out of the loop.
“Labor is trading on the legacy of the former LNP Government’s excellent track record of protecting the Great Barrier Reef, including strong investment in water quality and environmental programs and sustainable ports legislation, to win brownie points with UNSECO.”
Mr Cripps said the Palaszczuk Government needed to put the same effort into understanding Queensland’s agriculture sector as it did ingratiating itself to overseas bureaucrats.
“If it did, it may find there is no need for it to be running this elaborate scare campaign about the future of the Great Barrier Reef.”
Ms Trad said the UNESCO meeting in Paris provided an opportunity to outline the actions the Palaszczuk Government was taking to implement the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan.
The Deputy Premier met with Dr Fanny Douvere, the coordinator of the Marine Program for the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO.
“While UNESCO provided positive feedback on the work already underway, they recognised the importance of strengthening our vegetation protections laws – one of the Palaszczuk Government’s key commitments to protect the Great Barrier Reef,” Ms Trad said.
“Despite recent setbacks in Parliament, the Palaszczuk Government is still resolutely committed to protecting our Reef and will reinstate our nation leading vegetation protection laws if we are returned at the next election.”
The setbacks Ms Trad refers to is the defeat of its controversial Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill in August. Those anti-farmer laws were defeated 44 to 42 when the LNP opposition led by natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps, two Katter members and Labor-turned-independent Billy Gordon voted against the bill.
The Australian and Queensland governments are due to submit a progress update on Reef 2050 Plan to the World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature in December.