- RELATED: NSW set to chop into native veg laws
NSW Farmers welcomed the draft laws to repeal the unpopular native vegetation laws, released this morning. But they’ve got significant concerns.
The new law are based on an independent expert panel review from 2014, which called for a more scientific approach to land management, including triple bottom line assessments of clearing approvals, giving equal weight to social, environmental and social impacts.
NSW Farmers president Derek Schoen said key recommendations from the review was missing from the draft legislation, dubbed the Biodiversity Bill. He raised concerns about how the new laws would classify what is and isn’t eligible to be cleared.
“We can already see obvious issues with the mapping and the biodiversity assessment methodology in draft legislation.”
Mr Schoen demanded urgent action to change the draft before the Bill is debated in parliament.
“We need legislation that considers the whole picture, not narrow-minded thinking far removed from modern farming and resource management.”
The Coalition committed to introduce the Bill to parliament in the Spring session, which runs from September to December. Public consultation is open for the next eight weeks.
