At least 120 people crowded into the Kingaroy Town Common Hall to hear the two LNP speakers

May 7, 2016

At least 120 South Burnett landowners packed into the Kingaroy Town Common Hall on Thursday to discuss the Labor Government’s proposed changes to the Vegetation Management Act.

The forum was led by Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington and Shadow Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps, who have been urging landholders to campaign against the Bill.

AgForce and Mr Cripps have sponsored an E-Petition against the proposed changes, which the MPs have urged all South Burnett residents to sign.

Mrs Frecklington organised the information forum so landowners could learn more about how the amendments would affect their farm businesses.

“I wanted to help my constituents get a better understanding of what the Labor Government’s bill means for their properties going forward,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“Right across the region, landholders are reporting the new restrictions on their properties being greater than under the previous Bligh Labor Government – in particular, regrowth being reclassified as remnant vegetation and Category R (regrowth) vegetation being regulated for the first time.

“I would really like to thank everyone who took the time to attend and we appreciated the number of excellent questions and interest shown by local land managers.”

Examples put to the forum included homestead “house gardens” being classified as protected vegetation on new government maps and watercourses – “or drainage features” – that only run one year in a hundred having protected “bank” vegetation zones that draw spiderwebs across properties located thousands of miles from the Great Barrier Reef, which the zones are supposed to protect.

Mrs Frecklington said the current vegetation management framework, drafted by Mr Cripps and put in place by the former LNP Government in 2013, provided opportunities for Queensland’s agriculture to grow and she strongly believed it should stay in place.

“The LNP is committed to defending high value agriculture approvals, securing regrowth vegetation for freehold property owners and treating landholders with fairness,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“This is a critical issue for farmers across Queensland, including farmers in my electorate of Nanango”.

Mr Cripps emphasised that the proposed legislation was retrospective to March 17 and also sought to reverse onus of proof on farmers, turning honest mistakes – or map errors – into criminal offences.

“Queensland farmers and landowners need certainty to be able to plan for the future, just like any other industry and while Labor’s proposed amendments certainly put significant roadblocks in front of agriculture, the constant chopping and changing is also a serious concern,” Mr Cripps said.

He said Labor’s Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill had been introduced without any consultation, any compensation, or any common sense.

He was also worried about the accuracy of new maps being issued based on the proposed amendments.

Farmers at the forum suggested organising protests in Brisbane, or at the nearest consultation meeting – which is being held at Emerald – to drive home their concerns.

Mrs Frecklington and Mr Cripps also held similar forums in Gympie and Toogoolawah on Wednesday.

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 The Rasmussen family travelled from Wondai for the forum …. from left, Cameron, Del, Trevor and Murray Rasmussen (Photo: Nanango Electorate Office)
Shadow Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps, Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington and LNP candidate for Maranoa David Littleproud at the Vegetation Management Forum on Thursday

 

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