Native Veg war hits the city streets

The Stand Up For Nature alliance, which formed after a bitter split from stakeholder consultation in February, is gearing up for an intense three-month protest to stop the Coalition’s Biodiversity and Local Land Services Bills from making it to parliament.

This includes a protest next week outside Premier Mike Baird’s Manly office next week.

In the face of fresh criticism over the reforms, Primary Industries minister Niall Blair was adamant the legislation will pass, and chided green activists for “preaching from the sidelines” instead of standing with farmers, the “on-the-ground environmentalists”.

The Coalition only needs upper house support from the Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers, or the Christian Democrats to see the reforms progress.  

Stand Up For Nature argues the independent biodiversity review panel’s 43 recommendations have been misinterpreted by government, highlighting criticism from the Royal Zoological Society and Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists - including Professor Hugh Possingham, one of the panel’s four members.

Nature Conservation Council chief executive Kate Smolski said pressuring Mr Baird – who signed a pre-election commitment with NSW Farmers – was key to stopping the reforms. 

“We support more efficient and user-friendly native vegetation laws, but not at the expense of threatened species, healthy soils and clean water resources,” Ms Smolski said. 

“Some landholders want a system that lets them put their private interests before everyone else’s.

“Few laws are perfect so can be improved, and the Native Vegetation Act is no exception, but there is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

It is understood the Environmental Defenders Office is combing over the legislation. 

STUMPS from felled urban trees are en route to Sydney’s Liberal MPs to stop proposed NSW biodiversity reforms from hitting parliament. 

Randwick Stand Up For Nature fourm attendees were given placards, geed up for a protest at Mike Baird’s office next week, shown how to make submissions critical of the draft legislation, and were asked to send a message to city politicians via tree stumps left over from the 10/50 bushfire prevention clearing of 2014.

Campaign director Corinne Fisher said government had “spun the debate as farmers versus Greenies”, arguing that the land clearing reforms were being pushed through by a small but influential number of North West NSW landholders. 

Public consultation on the laws finishes on June 28.

Government will present the final reforms to parliament in the spring session. 

The majority of the Stand Up For Nature-organised forums have been in the city - with affiliated events on the North and South Coast and in the Central West.