FARMERS who have been waiting almost 20 years for fairer land clearing laws hope the release of the final report of the Biodiversity Legislation Review finally brings some relief today.
Since the introduction of State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) 46 in 1995 through to the rejection of proposed amendments to the Native Vegetation Act this year, clearing of native vegetation on properties has been a sore point for many farmers across NSW.
Farmer’s native veg checklist
- A framework for sustainable development of agricultural lands
- Balanced consideration of social, economic and environmental outcomes
- A delivery mechanism centred on strategic landscape planning
- More efficient biodiversity planning that meshes with broader strategic planning processes
- Seamless alignment of policy and jurisdictional responsibility across planning, environment, natural resource and local government instruments
- A customer service focus, supported by logical rules, honest de?nitions and clear information
- Support by the environment movement for a model that will deliver better net environmental outcomes and a foundation for effective strategic biodiversity conservation on private land.
"We're waiting with baited breath," said NSW Farmers native vegetation spokesman Mitchell Clapham ahead of the scheduled release of the Biodiversity Legislation Review final report at 11.30am today (Thursday).
"Farmers want to see meaningful change.
"We've already seen the demise of the Shooters and Fishers amendment Bill (which was designed to make it easier to clear land) and the introduction of the self assessable codes... which amounted to three-fifths of bugger all.
"It will be very interesting to see whether the recommendations (in the final report) match the promises made by the government before the last election."
The review includes the Native Vegetation Act, the Threatened Species Conservation Act, the Nature Conservation Trust Act and parts of the National Parks and Wildlife Act.
Mr Clapham said NSW Farmers had a list of seven outcomes they wanted to see out of the final report (above).
One of the most important changes to native vegetation management and land clearing laws was the introduction of fair compensation for farmers who lose productivity due to being unable to clear land, Mr Clapham said.
"You can't expect the private individuals to carry the can for the public good."
If the final report bears any resemblance to the issues paper that kicked off the review in August, Mr Clapham's wish for compensation could be upheld.
The issues paper highlighted the question of whether the current system effectively encouraged landowners to generate public benefits from their land and rewarded them as environmental stewards.
According to the issues paper, the review sought to find out whether current mechanisms were too focused on requiring private landowners to protect ecosystem services and biodiversity at their own cost.
Mr Clapham also wanted to see a greater focus on regional management plans, rather than property-specific management plans.
"It's far more efficient to look at the whole picture on a bigger scale," he said.
The review panel handed a draft report for the Biodiversity Legislation Review to the government in November but it has been shrouded in the secrecy of Cabinet in Confidence for the past month.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Rob Stokes said the minister would only comment on the issue after the release of the final report today.
Natural Resources, Land and Water Minister Kevin Humphries' office was also approached for comment, but failed to respond.
Visit www.theland.com.au for the latest on the report.