“The Palaszczuk Government should listen to the concerns of indigenous leaders and abandon its changes to native vegetation laws,” says Daniel Wild, research fellow with the free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.
The changes, to be debated in the Queensland parliament on Wednesday, remove land clearing permits for high-value agricultural development from Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act.
It was reported in The Australian today (15 August 2016) that Cape York indigenous leaders strongly oppose the Palaszczuk Government’s proposed changes to native vegetation laws.
“This legislation will put jobs, businesses and communities at risk. Many aboriginal land owners will be unable to develop their land due to the re-introduction of environmental red tape.”
“Changes to the native vegetation laws are being pushed by inner city green groups such as the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation, against the interest of farmers, workers and indigenous people in Queensland.”
“Unfortunately, our indigenous population face some of the worse economic and social outcomes in the country. Anything that limits their ability to access work will only further entrench disadvantage.”
The Institute of Public Affairs recently estimated the cost of red tape to the Australian economy at $176 billion in foregone economic output each year.
“As concluded in the IPA submission to the Queensland Agriculture and Environment Committee inquiry into the bill, these changes will stifle our most productive farmers, distort economic activity, breach principles of the rule of law, and increase business uncertainty for our agriculture sector.”
