Qld: Coalition calls for independent assessment on tree clearing

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-1999
Qld: Coalition calls for independent assessment on tree clearing

BRISBANE, Dec 5 AAP - An independent impact assessment of proposed tree-clearing limits
on farming communities was needed before any laws were passed, the Queensland opposition
said today.

The Deputy Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said the Beattie government would
be socially negligent if it did not properly assess the social and economic impact of
the proposed new laws on farming communities.

He said of particular interest was whether there would be any job losses, the effect
on land values, how banks would react and overall farming viability under the proposed
strict guidelines.

"It would be irresponsible in the extreme to pursue such massive changes to the way
farming practices are managed without first having an independent study completed," Mr
Springborg said in a statement.

"We have to know how many farms will be affected, where these farms are, how many will
lose value, how many become less viable, how many will become (unviable) and how many
jobs will be lost to our already struggling rural centres.

"Without this core information it would be an act of economic and social negligence
to rush through mandatory rules."

The Beattie government plans to introduce the new land-clearing laws by the end of
the year to stem Queensland's tree-clearing rates which are the highest in Australia.

Premier Peter Beattie has called on the federal government to make available $100 million
from its gas emission reduction fund to compensate farmers for limits on tree-clearing.

Under an international greenhouse gas emission agreement reached in Kyoto, Japan, two
years ago, Australia was allowed to increase its emissions in return for a reduction in
tree harvesting by 2010.

Federal compensation is seen as a way of reducing the rate of so-called panic-clearing
of land by farmers afraid of the 2010 deadline.

AAP ch/rds/br

KEYWORD: TREES

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