Photo sourced - The Chronicle |
Property Rights Australia is most concerned that senior members of the Palaszczuk government, including the Premier herself, have failed to grasp that the VMA was not repealed but amended[3] and amended modestly at that. Unlike the over the top approach taken in resource legislation, the Newman government amendments to the VMA were restrained, responsible and restored basic tenets of our legal system; civil rights that the wider community take for granted but had been denied to landowners. There have been many column inches devoted to the horror of the reversal of the onus of proof under the so-called “bikie laws”[4] including by the Labor party.[5] Qld was the first jurisdiction in Australia to reverse the onus of proof[6] and it happened under the Beattie Labor government’s Vegetation Management Act.[7] We expect this type of attack on the Justice system not to be repeated
The current government should be wary of pressure by various
“green groups” which are continually being proved to be lacking in substance or
in touch with real situations impacting real people in Queensland at this time.
Activists with an environmental agenda
have lost no time in getting in the governments ear with the incorrect notion
that the VMA had been repealed and landclearing is again out of control. Published articles by a group of academics
calling themselves “concerned scientists”[8]
show little scientific integrity, deceptive selection of the facts and
exaggerated conclusions. WWF in its
latest Living Forests report[9]
devote a whole chapter with the use of “projections” to forecast a resulting
deforestation from changes to environment legislation. WWF believes that your brigalow suckers are “critically
important” and without a word about compensation of production loss to the
landowner states the desire to see brigalow regrowth to mature for 30 years to
provide wildlife habitat. Typically Dr Tim Seelig, Queensland Campaign Manager
for the Wilderness Society makes gross exaggerations,[10]
”The LNP substantially weakened land clearing
controls in Queensland, resulting in a return to large scale clearing and an
impending tree clearing crisis on a massive scale.”
In responding to questions in the Queensland parliament on May 13
from the Member for Warrego Ann Leahy, Dr Lynham said that,[11] “we
have no plans to change those specific portions such as the self-assessment
criteria.” PRA believes to revert back
to the old arrangements of a deadly slow time frame to obtain permits to
harvest the self-regenerating acacia mulga crucial for drought fodder would
defy logic.[12]
With 80% of Queensland in drought it is most likely graziers
concerned for the welfare of their livestock; feeding mulga will most likely be
the greatest contributor to any increase in the area of land clearing.[13]
Mulga is well known for its ability to re-establish itself.
Photo sourced ABC Rural - New tree clearing laws in Queensland |
Going by where the most fervour of the radical environmentalist is directed, provision of clearing for high-value agriculture[14] is the area most at risk for attention by the Palaszczuk government. Tim Seelig in his dedicated vehemence says,[15]
“The LNP approved at least five massive land
clearing projects in northern Queensland, including at Olive Vale. Those five
projects total 113,000 hectares. Other approvals include almost 60,000 hectares
at Strathmore Station in the Gulf Country.”
To provide some perspective Qld is a large state covering 1,727,000
square kilometres with over 200 national parks covering 6.5 million hectares.[16] Most agricultural production essential to feed
our population by necessity occurs off land that is thinned of its vegetation
or a large percentage cleared. Land has
been set aside for different purposes and its time environmentalists reserve
full conservation management to National Parks only and don’t transfer these
expectations to agricultural production systems. The introduction of the VMA
caught large tracts of north Qld under developed with landowners uncompensated
for declining production.
Recently the federal member of Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, gave
some perspective of the clearing being undertaken at Olive Vale calling
activists claims, “emotional clap-trap.”[17] Mr Entsch owned Olive Vale up to the early
2000’s said that,
“He believed the area to be cleared – which
represents less than 10 per cent of the station – was mostly open country with
few trees.
“There’s not a lot of agricultural opportunities
in Cape York, but those areas that have been identified through the scientific
process are areas where we should be going, giving an economic opportunity for
people living in the area,’’
“Many other land types were, and remain, subject
to increased “thickening” of the over-storey or sub-canopy tree and shrub
cover, or both, over time. Likewise trees are actively encroaching on some
native grasslands . Examples of this changing structure and composition of the
vegetation include mulga thickening in country east of the Warrego River,
gidgee encroachment onto Mitchell grasslands , increased eucalypt cover in the
Desert Uplands and Central Highlands/Burdekin Catchment and tea tree invasion of grasslands in Cape
York. Even National Parks and reserves abutting grazing land are subject to
ongoing tree thickening e.g. the disappearing grassy balds of the Bunya
Mountains, acacias invading grasslands on Moorinya N.P. and rainforest invading
wet sclerophyll forest in the wet tropics.”
Photo sourced ABC Rural - the hot issues as Queensland |
“it was clear from the imagery and mapping that
DNRM were not inspecting irregularities but were inspecting properties to
support prosecutions.
“DNRM have sufficient information to determine
whether charges should be laid. The purpose to inspect and speak with
landholders is to falsely obtain a confession or some form of omission of
guilt.”
Previous published related article
[2] http://rti.cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers/assets/Charter%20Letter_The%20Hon%20Dr%20Anthony%20Lynham%20MP.PDF
[3] http://www.claytonutz.com/publications/edition/4_july_2013/20130704/a_clear_path_ahead_navigating_queenslands_vegetation_management_framework.page
[5] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/labor-lnp-swapped-views-on-bikie-laws-20150106-12icp3.html
[10] https://www.wilderness.org.au/lnp-opened-queensland-large-scale-land-clearing-palaszczuk-government-needs-fix#sthash.L2nBzFfo.dpuf
[11] http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/general/news/fresh-veg-management-concerns-arise/2732896.aspx?storypage=0
[12] http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/general/news/wyoming-producer-welcomes-reform/2680666.aspx
[13] http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/general/healthcare/drought-drives-mulga-hunger/2724451.aspx?storypage=0
[15] https://www.wilderness.org.au/lnp-opened-queensland-large-scale-land-clearing-palaszczuk-government-needs-fix#sthash.L2nBzFfo.dpuf
[17] http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/tree-clearing-claims-emotion-claptrap/story-fnjpusyw-1227339249247
[20] http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/general/news/wwf-in-wilderness-on-veg-reform/2659251.aspx?storypage=0