Mark Banasiak, Upper House Member for the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party has this week moved amendments to the Local Land Services Act in response to the now infamous State Environment Protection Policy (Koala Habitat Protection).
In the event of inconsistencies between the Local Land Services Act and environmental planning instruments, like the Koala SEPP, these amendments will ensure that the Local Land Services Act prevails.
The intention of the amending bill is to ensure that native vegetation, private native forestry and forestry operations, which already have koala protection measures included in their management agreements, are able to continue without having any more of their land unnecessarily locked up.
“While the coalition has been splitting at the seams, the SFF have been working with NSW Farmers, Timber NSW, private land holders and others to make this very important change,” said Mr Banasiak.
“This is only the beginning of what SFF plan to do in response to the Koala SEPP.
“There are many ways in which this environmental planning instrument impacts land holders, private native forestry, forestry operations and native vegetation, and we intend to deal with each one of those issues,” said Mr Banasiak.
The Koala SEPP has caused considerable distress among farming communities, forestry industry and private land holders across the State.The SEPP uses incorrect mapping and increases koala feed trees from 10 to 123, offering no option to appeal a decision made under this SEPP that locks up private land.
“This Koala SEPP and many other environmental planning instruments encroach on private property rights,” said Mr Banasiak.
“The SFF are a party of freedoms. This SEPP directly impacts the freedoms of property owners, and we won’t sit idly by like the Nationals and allow that to happen.
“My colleague, Roy Butler, has been in contact with the Minister for Planning, who has been supportive of our approach, we look forward to Government support as this bill progresses through Parliament,” said Mr Banasiak.
Download a copy of the media release here.
