At the place that symbolises Australia’s pioneering spirit, around 250 people, driving from as far away as Clermont and the Darling Downs, gathered on Thursday morning to lend their support for the protests against the government’s proposed vegetation management law changes.
In the words of Remote Area Planning and Development Board chairman, Rob Chandler, it was fitting for the stone cottage at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame to be chosen as the venue to host the State Development, Natural Resources and Agricultural Industry Development committee’s Longreach public hearing.
“Our pioneers opened this country up and trillions of dollars have spent in making it a food bowl for the nation,” he said.
He won plenty of applause when he implored the government, which the committee reports back to, not to make decisions based on election promises for an environmental group.
He was one of three local government groups to address the committee, along with Dominic Burden, the chairman of Desert Channels Queensland, an agribusiness representative and six landholders.
Ground-truthing mapping was one of the concerning issues for petitioners, along with a view that the changes would go against the government’s stated aim of job creation.