Labor is poised to finally pass the reforms but farmers say the changes will harm the state’s agricultural sector

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Queensland government is expected to pass new land-clearing laws on Tuesday amid fierce protests by farmers on the steps of the state parliament.

The laws are an attempt to rein in soaring clearing rates and restore environmental protections that were scrapped in 2013. The Climate Council estimates bushland more than seven times the size of Brisbane – about 1m hectares – was cleared between 2012 and 2016.

About 500 farmers from across the state, wearing green shirts and waving signs that proclaimed them the “true environmentalists”, demonstrated on the grounds that the changes will harm the state’s agricultural sector. They didn’t miss the opportunity to point out that city dwellers’ smashed avocado and soy lattes were, in many cases, products of Queensland farming.

• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon

Jacqui Tickell, a cattle farmer, said there were misconceptions about the role of pastoralists in land clearing.

“We’re not broadscale clearing,” she said. “We’re just managing the regrowth of trees. If we just leave that there, there will be a huge problem with thickening, no sun will hit the ground, and there will be no grass there, no grass for any of the animals.

“We can’t just walk away. We need to fight these laws and let Queensland know that we’re for the environment.”

The Palaszczuk government attempted to pass similar laws during its first term, but they were defeated by the crossbench. Labor won a majority at the 2017 election and now has the numbers to pass the reforms.

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson, who told News Corp she would oppose land clearing for solar farms if the laws were passed, and Katter’s Australian party MPs attended the rally and joined in chants of “no farmers, no food”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A protester outside the Queensland parliament. Farmers say new land-clearing laws will harm the state’s agricultural sector. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

Nationals senator Matt Canavan also told News Corp on Tuesday he would consider challenging the vegetation management laws in the high court, on the basis that they may breach the Racial Discrimination Act by stifling economic development opportunities in Cape York.

A parliamentary committee that had been scrutinising the laws earlier this month recommended the government give priority to measures to “better support Aboriginal landowners to realise sustainable agriculture development opportunities”. It is unclear yet whether the bill will be amended as a result of this recommendation.

The Queensland Conservation Council says farmers’ concerns are misleading, and challenged claims that tougher laws will affect the productivity of agricultural land.

“We have seen periods of both rapidly declining and rapidly rising rates of land clearing in Queensland over the last 20 years, reflecting stronger and then weaker laws,” the council’s head, Tim Seelig, said. “Over this time, agricultural productivity overall has been pretty stable.

“There is simply no evidence that stronger land-clearing laws will impact on agricultural productivity, which is actually affected by commodity prices, exchange rates, droughts and weather events.

Land clearing in Australia: see how cleared areas compare with your home town Read more

“Of course, land clearing has a devastating impact on wildlife and essential habitats. It affects water quality in the Great Barrier Reef and releases massive volumes of carbon into the atmosphere.”

The Wilderness Society said on Tuesday the government needed to close loopholes that remain in the legislation to protect the state’s rivers, not just those in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

The Queensland opposition leader, Deb Frecklington, said the government’s consultation and committee report had been farcical.

“We saw [the premier] Annastacia Palaszczuk stand up before the committee report was even handed down and say she was going to ram this legislation through the parliament,” Frecklington said.

“She’s refusing to listen to these people who are out here today, taking time away from their families and businesses to be here. These laws will hurt farmers.”