One million hectares of land have been grabbed by the State Government's new regrowth clearing laws introduced to Parliament today, which Labor claims strikes the "right balance" between the environment and farming needs.
Premier Anna Bligh and Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said prior to the moratorium on clearing endangered regrowth, less than 240,000 hectares of regrowth vegetation were subject to regulations controlling clearing.
"Other than for mapped watercourses in the priority Great Barrier Reef catchments, the new rules apply only to regrowth areas that have not been cleared since 31 December 1989," Ms Bligh said.
"This ensures that regrowth that is re-cleared regularly as a part of normal grazing practices is unaffected."
The new laws, introduced to Parliament today, will take effect from October 8.
Key elements of the new arrangements will include:
- Protection of an additional 1m ha of land and a total of 2.3m ha subject to minimum standards and best land management practice;
- Protection of native regrowth vegetation within 50 metres of mapped watercourses in the priority Great Barrier Reef catchments of the Burdekin, Mackay-Whitsundays and the Wet Tropics.
- $2 million to deliver the new regrowth measures in partnership with industry groups.
- A new simpler process that does not require a landholders to wait for a permit provided they comply with the Code.
- An exchange system that may allow some sections of protected regrowth to be cleared if replaced by another slice of land of greater size.
- Landholders who have a category X on a certified Property Map of Assessable Vegetation (PMAV) —representing approximately 1.4 million hectares—will not be affected by the new measures.
- Clearing regrowth as a consequence of a valid development approval or approval resulting from development applications made before 8 October will also not be affected.
Mr Robertson said the new regrowth vegetation code would cover high-value regrowth on freehold land, indigenous land and agricultural and grazing leasehold land, as well as native regrowth vegetation along watercourses in priority reef catchments.
"The code protects the most important regrowth vegetation such as endangered regrowth and habitat for threatened species, regrowth vegetation in wetlands, watercourses and on steep slopes," Mr Robertson said.
"The code also allows for clearing for weed control, thinning and encroachment. It gives certainty about a land holder’s duty of care when managing regrowth.
"Landholders will not need to get a permit, they only need to notify the department and then follow the regrowth code.
"In addition, most routine clearing such as for fence lines and firebreaks will be exempt, as will burning off.
"This approach recognises that many farmers are doing the right thing and the code works in conjunction with the new regrowth vegetation maps, which are the first place to look to understand what clearing can occur."
The new maps are available for free on the Department of Environment and Resource Management website.
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