The acquisition of five western stations by NSW National Parks now totals almost 400,000 hectares in the last year. If you add on travelling stock routes, a large land 'grab' would appear to be underway.
Graziers and the community that need them for their economies in the western division are rightly asking questions.
Although some of the purchases were flagged by the government, they are wondering what now is the wash-out from these buy-outs, given the original buy-up was estimated at 200,000 hectares.
It's estimated that each station in private hands, adds about $500,000 a year into local economies. It's certain that the national park version will do nothing like that.
Although the purchases may give a nice warm fuzzy feeling to people in the city that rare flora and fauna will be protected, there is a lot of evidence that this may actually have the opposite effect, with the loss of waterholes under national park policy, and then pushing kangaroos and feral animals onto neighbouring farmland.
Already the government is in partnership with NSW landholders in the very successful Biodiversity Conservation Trust program. This allows farmers to carry on their business whilst also protecting parts of the environment and rare flora and fauna for the future. And landholders earn a small yearly income for managing the area, helping them through droughts.
Another scheme of stewardship, suggested by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP for Barwon Roy Butler, seems to also have been totally ignored. Instead, whole stations have disappeared into the public Parks register, some bought at prices well over market value (up to $10 an acre higher).
It has many wondering if this is just a means for extra carbon credits for the NSW government.
You've read it here before, but again the landholders feel there has been no consultation on these purchases and it seems they may have been handed a fait accompli - maybe in the name of saving the planet. The government seems to have forgotten farmers are an important part of saving the planet, and locking up land doesn't always equate to great environmental outcomes.
Landholders should be engaged in the process and the government declare its hand on further purchases and what carbon credits it may be earn.
As Roy Butler says, these purchases of viable agricultural land must now "stop".
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