Despite their rhetoric on Tuesday morning that agriculture would lead the post-COVID economy recovery, the Labor State Government just a few hours later showed their heart isn’t really in it.
Yesterday, the Government MPs used their majority in Parliament to side with the Greens and quash an LNP motion to remove the onerous, ineffective and unfair Reef Regulations and standards.
AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said the Government still seemed more beholden to Greens ideology and untruths than making a genuine attempt to rebuild bridges with agriculture and regional Queensland which she so roundly praised earlier in the day.
“Instead of working with Reef farmers, the Government and the Greens turned their backs on them,” Mr Guerin said
“Instead of rebuilding trust between government, farmers and conservationists on a sustainability framework for land and water, the Government is determined to roll out strengthened Reef regulations.
“And they are relying on inaccurate science to do so.
“In speaking against the LNP motion, Government MP Jackie Trad falsely stated that the Reef regulations were based on peer-reviewed science and that there was evidence they are improving water quality.
“There is not a shred of truth to either of those claims.
“The 2019 Great Barrier Reef Outlook report states there is no noticeable change in Reef water quality after 15 years of modelling and monitoring.
“More and more producers, scientists and community are starting to question the 2017 Reef Scientific Consensus Statement. The State Government need to understand what the science is saying.”
Mr Guerin said the Reef regulations and standards were simply based on an ideological dogma perpetuated by a collective of green groups, not on peer-reviewed science and observation.
“Unfortunately, this ideology and the stereotypes that underpin them not only demonise farmers as environmental vandals, when the truth is they are careful custodians of the land who care for the environment while putting food on all our tables,” he said.
“Their dogmatic approach needlessly ties primary producers in onerous and restrictive red and green tape that inhibits their ability to contribute to food security, economic recovery and job creation and is not actually doing anything to save the Reef.
“This approach doesn’t provide confidence for future investment in and job security across all the Reef regions.”
