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Federal inquiry into vegetation laws and cool burns

Beef Central, 07/12/2018

David Littleproud addresses the Rural Press Club of Qld lunch in Brisbane. Picture: Rural Press Club of Qld

MINISTER for Agriculture David Littleproud has announced a House of Representatives inquiry into the impact of vegetation and land management policies on the agricultural sector.

Minister Littleproud first flagged an inquiry in August and has been pushing for one in the months since. The fires in Queensland have now provided the catalyst to get the numbers to make the Inquiry a reality.

“Queensland Labor had the chance to look at this properly but they’ve squibbed it, so we’ll do it,” Minister Littleproud said.

“We need to have a real look at the impact of the Queensland Labor Government’s native vegetation management land management practices.

“The idea a farmer is too scared to make a proper firebreak is a joke. We need an easy process so this can be done to protect us from fires. Departments need to be clear and quick when responding to landholders on this.

“The absence of proper firebreaks on both public and private land is just dumb.

“Has lack of cool burning on state-owned land contributed to fires? Has the Queensland Government done enough to make sure fires don’t spread from National Parks onto farms? Have Queensland’s vegetation management laws left more fuel load on farms?

Read more: Qld landholder hit with record $1m penalty for making fire breaks too wide

“I’ve often wondered whether indigenous land practices – could be incorporated into our modern land management now.

“If Queensland’s laws are locking up agricultures potential and making fires worse, we need to know about it.

“I’ll be inviting Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to appear and give evidence at the Inquiry as she was clearly the architect of them.

“Queensland Labor’s silence on these issues comes in the same week Queensland Labor has announced it will cut agricultural colleges in Longreach and Emerald – a callus abandonment of agriculture west of the divide gripped in one of the worse droughts on record.”

The inquiry will begin this month and is expected to report back by April.

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Comments

  1. Peter Williams, 10/01/2019

    A good idea, and not before time. This is a serious issue which effects all of us beyond he urban landscape.

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