NO CHANGE: The committee at the Charleville hearing.
NO CHANGE: The committee at the Charleville hearing. Alexia Austin

Veg committee report laws need 'no change'

IN A slap to the face of property owners in the southwest, the parliamentary hearing committee that visited Charleville earlier this month has recommended flawed vegetation management laws be passed without change.

AgForce general president Grant Maudsley said the recommendation from Labor MPs on the committee was an "absolute disgrace” to farming families who took the time to have their say and travelled vast distances to give evidence.

"These laws are the worst of both worlds. The changes will make it harder for farmers to grow food and fibre, shut down agricultural development opportunities and lead to worse environmental outcomes,” he said.

"There were thousands of click and flick submissions from supporters of the laws, but the nearly 1000 submissions from rural landholders were heartfelt and personal accounts outlining how the laws would affect their lives and livelihoods.

"These pleas appear to have been completely ignored by Labor MPs on the committee, who have shown how completely wedded they are to political agendas and how far removed they are from the realities of food and fibre production.

"Farmers love and care for their land and the vast majority know how to manage it responsibly.

"Farmers have had enough. There is no need to ram these flawed laws through as quickly as possible. We're all in this together, we all eat food and we all care for the environment.

"The Palaszczuk Government can and should be working with the most disaffected and vulnerable on a long-lasting solution that provides good outcomes for agriculture and the environment without strangling farmers in red tape.”

There will be an AgForce day of action held outside the Brisbane parliament house on Tuesday from 8-11am for all those wanting to take a stand and once again voice their opposition to the new laws.


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