Queensland Premier Campbell Newman

August 12, 2013

The State Government today announced major changes to the land tenure system in Queensland, opening the way for farmers and graziers to upgrade leasehold land to freehold land.

Speaking following a Community Cabinet held at the Ekka, Premier Campbell Newman said the government had listened to farm lobby groups such as AgForce and the Queensland Farmers Federation who were saying the change would give primary producers the confidence to invest in their properties as well as delivering “greater negotiating power with their banks”.

“Today I can announce that almost 3000 rural producers across Queensland will soon be able to automatically renew their ‘term’ leases, rather than facing uncertainty every time their lease is due for renewal,” Premier Newman said.

“Under these important changes rural lessees will enjoy 60-years of ‘rolling’ tenure, allowing them to make long-term investment decisions that will help meet Queensland’s target of doubling agricultural production by 2040.

“Further, the State Government is committed to identifying suitable pathways for rural lessees who may be interested in upgrading their perpetual and term leases to freehold tenure.

“We understand that for some landholders, the opportunity to upgrade to the most secure form of tenure is important, and we will continue to work with rural lobby groups on developing options for that to occur.”

Details about the changes are contained in the State Government’s response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the future and continued relevance of government land tenure report, which was considered by State Cabinet today.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the report built on “significant changes” already made by the State Government to streamline the lease renewal process.

“We have already removed page after page of unnecessary paperwork enforced by the previous Labor government when primary producers sought to renew their long-term leases,” Mr Seeney said.

Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps said his Department existing Land Management Agreements would become “a partnership arrangement” between landholders and the State Government to ensure environmental outcomes were delivered “more effectively and efficiently”.