Oppostion farm voices quiet on draft clearing reform

The Coalition’s long-awaited draft laws – currently in an eight-week consultation phase – propose handing greater regulatory powers on land clearing to Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair and Local Land Services (LLS), and encourage incentivised land management as opposed to hardline conservation barriers. 

But despite regularly taking Mr Blair to task over farming issues in parliament, Labor MP Mr Veitch and Greens MP Mr Buckingham have been largely quiet on native vegetation.

Mr Veitch – who has been vocal on issues such as biosecurity and crown land reform – has until now deferred comment on land clearing to Labor’s environment spokeswoman Penny Sharpe.

He this week said that, like Ms Sharpe, he had long disagreed with the Coalition’s proposed biodiversity reforms, and that the current regulations affected only a small number of north-west NSW farmers. 

“When farmers contact me as (spokesman for) Primary Industries, native vegetation is simply not the number-one issue they raise,” Mr Veitch said. 

“Far more often farmers raise their concerns about the LLS model, issues around water supply, concerns about biosecurity and pest control, and the future of travelling stock reserves.”

Mr Veitch argued that, because carriage of the reforms sit foremost with Environment Minister Mark Speakman, it was more appropriate for Ms Sharpe to lead the Labor debate. 

Meanwhile Mr Buckingham – who has pushed strongly to green-light hemp food as a crop, and has rallied against freshly minted protest laws – said native vegetation laws were not on most farmers’ radar.

Comment from NSW Greens about the issue has come from Mr Buckingham’s fellow upper house MP and party environment spokeswoman Dr Mehreen Faruqi, who has been critical of the proposed reform. 

“(We) welcome payments to landholders who take action to protect the natural environment... and believe farmers should be rewarded for good custodianship of the environment,” Mr Buckingham said. 

 “(But) the wholesale change to the law ... is not necessary and may lead to a resumption of large-scale land clearing.”

Mr Buckingham argued climate change will have a much greater impact on farmers and called for government to take action “rather than stoking divisions of an old and tired battle”.