DROUGHT stricken Charleville farmers have pleaded with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull not to let Queensland’s controversial vegetation management laws become a national blanket ban after recent news of Federal Labor’s intention to “create a land-clearing trigger”.
Last month, it was reported that a national Labor policy would look to emulate Queensland’s tree laws across other states by triggering a climate change EPBC act.
During a visit to the south west on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was asked on a number of occasions to step in to end Queensland Labor’s new vegetation laws.
While constitutional requirements make it an impossible confrontation, Mr Turnbull was given a thorough mulga lesson to return to Canberra with when he toured the 12,900 hectare cattle property of Cameron and Jacqui Tickell.
The couple received just 127mm of rain last year and 50mm so far in 2018.
It’s meant their cattle have only eaten mulga for last 12 months and making up 70 per cent of their diet for the past six years of drought.
Mr Turnbull was joined by the Tickells, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and LNP Senator Barry O'Sullivan, at a private afternoon tea, where he said certainty was key.
“So the important thing is to settle it, settle it in a way that is sustainable?” he said.
“It’s bad enough trying to run Queensland from Brisbane, let alone every farm from Canberra.”
The Tickells also raised questions over the Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate.
Mr Turnbull was shocked to learn backgrounding and agistment operations were excluded from the EWIR, which offers up to 50 per cent off costs of establishing water infrastructure for emergency animal needs.
The Tickells proposed the government remove the prohibiting criteria and recommit to the scheme, previously a 75 per cent rebate.
AgForce South West Regional Manager Vicki Franklin said it was one of the best received assistance packages the area had this drought.
At a Politics in the Pub event on Tuesday night, fears were raised over outsiders’ buying and locking up country for carbon farming.
Minister Littleproud said he would ask serious questions of additional applications in the area.
He didn’t believe Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg and his department had consulted widely enough.
“It’s an unintentional consequence of the policy,” he said.
“The concentration that has occurred from this program in south west Queensland is too great and we are seeing those consequences of farming families leave and that is the last thing I want to see,” he said.