Many Queensland landholders suffering the uncheckable consequences of vegetation thickening will recall with disdain the way the State Government treated Dr Burrows. The pre-eminent expert on woodlands ecology – respected worldwide for research into vegetation thickening – was gagged by the Government from talking to the media during the land-clearing debate of 2002-04.

The reason for the shabby treatment was that Dr Burrows' 40 years of research directly contradicted many of the environmental and economic arguments put by Premier Peter Beattie, then Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk, and former Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson.

Dr Burrows and a team of DPI scientists and economists had found that without the use of dozer and chain, which was banned under the State Government's tree-clearing laws, it would be unviable and unaffordable for graziers to control native vegetation as it thickened with regrowth.

The thickening process, it was shown, threatened the future of some grass and bird species, as well as the economic viability of the grazing sector. It was estimated in 2003 that the net present cost to Queensland of unchecked vegetation thickening over a 25-year period would be $900 million – a far cry from the State's $150m assistance package.

The report was revealed to the public only after an extensive investigation by Queensland Country Life. Dr Burrows and his team had been ordered to destroy all copies of the report.

So it was with some sense of irony then to find that the minders in Brisbane cleared for release a DPI&F press statement highlighting the contribution of the now-retired Dr Burrows to current woodlands research and acknowledging many of his findings.

While the deficiencies of the land-clearing laws are not the making of current ministers for DPI and NRW, Tim Mulherin and Craig Wallace respectively, they now have the opportunity to remedy the situation.