EXTREME green group The Wilderness Society has launched its latest assault on farmers, seeking public donations to buy drones to spy on landholders who manage vegetation.
The Labor-aligned organisation is using its website in efforts to raise at least $9191, with the intention of raising enough money to deploy drones in Queensland, NSW and Western Australia.
“Help get our drone program off the ground so we can fight aggressive land clearing in Australia,” the website reads.
“For $9191, we can buy one drone and keep it in the field for six months.
“For $27,576, we can deploy drones in each of the three worst states for land clearing.
“We’re also looking for qualified drone pilots and GPS experts to volunteer their expertise, so please let us know if you can help.”
Donations over $2 to the ‘SkyScout, drones against deforestation’ project’ are tax deductible. However, people who donate $10,000 would have a drone named after them.
It is understood there are suggestions the Queensland drone could be called ‘AgForce 1’ or named ‘Grant Maudsley’, who heads the Queensland farm group AgForce.
Mr Maudsley earned the ire of the Palaszczuk government and the Labor-aligned extreme greens for leading a major protest by farmers in Brisbane in August against punitive new vegetation management laws.
Those laws were subsequently defeated in state parliament. However, deputy premier Jackie Trad has promised the anti-farmer legislation would become law if Labor was reelected.
Under those laws farmers charged with vegetation management offences would be presumed to be guilty, under controversial reverse onus of proof provisions.
Mr Maudsley said AgForce was in the process of making its members aware of The Wilderness Society’s actions.