A SENATE committee has recommended a national review of the impacts of various native vegetation legislation and regulatory regimes in operation throughout Australia, particularly those at a State level.
It’s just one of the recommendations contained in a report resulting from the recent Senate Inquiry into Native Vegetation Laws, Greenhouse Gas Abatement and Climate Change Measures, and its community hearings in Wagga Wagga, Rockhampton and Perth.
The inquiry was sparked by a 52-day hunger strike by NSW grazier Peter Spencer, Cooma, who was protesting against vegetation laws that he said had ruined his property.
The Senate Inquiry report, released this week, recommends the Commonwealth initiate the national review and specifically address a number of issues, including the liability of landholders complying with native vegetation laws for the payment of rates or taxes for land that is not available for productive use.
The introduction of an “inexpensive, accessible, timely and independent” administrative appeal process to allow landholders to appeal against decisions of enforcement agencies or officials regarding the granting of permits or institution of regulatory regimes over private land should also be investigated according to the report.
It also recommends the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reexamine native vegetation legislation and its 2006 recommendations with “a view to establishing a balance between maximising agricultural production and best practice conservation”.
In its conclusions, the report states the Senate committee “believes there are legitimate concerns about the impact of the current native vegetation laws upon a small group of Australians, namely landholders in rural and regional Australia. It is unreasonable that the burden of broad environmental objectives is borne by a small number of Australians.”
Senator Barnaby Joyce, who was part of the Senate Inquiry committee, said if a small part of the community was being asked to pay for the benefits enjoyed by the whole country, most Australians would agree that it would be unfair.
“The recent Senate Inquiry into vegetation management heard that this is exactly the case for landowners who are being asked to pay the price for the benefit of the community at large,” he said.
“It should be remembered that each Australian farmer feeds 150 Australians and 650 people overseas.
“These people just don’t need to be saddled by the extra burden of having to bear what the Senate committee identified as economic, personal and family costs.
“Many landowners are in the untenable situation of having land values drop to the point where selling out is not an option.
“They still have to maintain the land and try to be productive and yet they are not being allowed to utilise the land profitably.”
Email a friend