LOCAL farmers – brace yourselves for an assault on your property rights as the Labor Government moves to reintroduce harsh vegetation management laws as early as next month.
Make no mistake about it, Labor Governments have proven time and again that they are no friends to regional Queensland or to agricultural production.
Labor Governments are good at creating confusion and panic, particularly when they want to dictate what farmers can and can’t do on their own land.
I cannot stress enough just how important it is that producers review their property mapping immediately.
For the last ten years property owners have been able to obtain what is known as a ‘Property Map of Assessable Vegetation’, or a ‘PMAV’, through the Department.
If you are a farmer and you have not obtained your PMAV showing the vegetation categories on your farm, please do it now.
You cannot rely on this Labor Government’s regulated vegetation mapping as it is not certified, is riddled with errors and does not protect you into the future.
Having dealt with many local landholders being victimised for just trying to get on with their farming enterprises, I stress that locking in a PMAV appears to be the best way to prevent items like a regrowth layer being reintroduced onto your property early this year.
A PMAV will ensure an element of protection against any mapping changes that will create in many cases you losing your right to farm and access to productive agricultural land.
As with all things to do with Labor governments, there is paperwork and costs associated with the PMAV process, but a cost and a piece of paper that is worth protecting your family’s investments.
In putting our region first, I will continue to fight against what is bad Labor policy for the region, but landholders must also take steps to protect their property rights.
Stephen Bennett MP
Member for Burnett
