FEDERAL environment minister Murray Watt has raised some eyebrows with an announcement that the Government has issued its first ‘environmental protection order’ after it changed laws last year.

Murray Watt visiting producers in Central Queensland. Photo: Murray Watt Facebook

The Minister took to social media to announce that Wombinoo Station, near Mount Garnet in North Queensland, will have to halt the clearing of 1600ha of land – including the raking and burning of already felled trees.

“This order will protect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park from sediment runoff,” the minister said in his Facebook post.

The order was issued by the National Environmental Protection Agency, which was set up earlier this year as part of the Government’s reform to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) act.

In its own statement, the EPA says the order issued to Wombinoo Station can last up to 14 days and that the clearing remains under active investigation. The department was asked if it believes there has been a breach of the EPBC act and what type of clearing has occurred on Wombinoo Station.

Beef Central has been unable to contact the owners of Wombinoo Station but understands they are working through the issue with industry groups. None of the parties were able to provide a comment.

However, it has raised eyebrows that such an announcement has been made when it is only a 14-day stop to the work and that the investigation is still ongoing.

Activist campaign targeting properties in reef catchments

Environmental activists have recently been campaigning against cattle producers in Great Barrier Reef catchments.

In August, the Australian Conservation Foundation and Mighty Earth ran an advertising campaign in South Korea (one of Australia’s key beef markets) saying Australian beef was killing the Great Barrier Reef. Two weeks after the campaign, two official reports on the reef reported improving water quality and rebounding coral cover.

The ACF doubled down on its claims that land clearing for cattle production was choking the reef in a report last month. It was slammed by the National Farmers’ Federation in the below post on LinkedIn.

Wombinoo Station itself has also been the subject of activist campaigns, with the Wilderness Society and the ABC illegal logging had occurred. A bulldozer was allegedly set on fire and the front gates of the property were defaced with the words ‘koala killer’.

Beef Central asked the National EPA if one of the charity organisations had referred Wombinoo to the EPA.

What is Government saying?

The EPA says hydrological evidence indicates that further clearing of land one Wombinoo – including removal of felled trees and burning vegetation – could cause over 1000T of fine sediment to make its way into the Great Barrier Reef each year and that fine sediment was a significant threat to the reef.

In background notes the EPA says the next steps can include a formal request to make a referral to the National EPA, the EPA can apply for a court injunction to prevent any activities that are or likely to be a contravention of the EPBC Act.

National EPA Head of Compliance and Enforcement Dani Yannopoulos said:

“This EPO has been issued to address the risk of further harm through unauthorised land clearing near a waterway leading to the Great Barrier Reef.

“The new power to issue an EPO allows us to act quickly and decisively to prevent environmental harm. The National EPA will take strong action where there is knowing, wilful or significant environmental damage caused by breaches of the EPBC Act.

“Federal laws provide special protections for the environment and habitats in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area because the reef is such an important and iconic natural asset for Australia.”