Howard stumped on land clearing
Copyright 2000, AFR News - afr.com.au
August 22, 2000
By Lenore Taylor
The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, and his deputy, Mr John Anderson, have proposed to Queensland agricultural leaders a politically sensitive plan to introduce a cap on land clearing in the State with Commonwealth-funded compensation to land holders.
The plan is essential for Australia to appear serious about achieving its Kyoto greenhouse commitments, but is vehemently opposed by sections of the Queensland National Party, who warn of an extreme political backlash to any limitations on land holders' rights.
The agricultural leaders, who met Mr Howard and Mr Anderson for more than an hour last Tuesday, have until the end of the month to decide whether they could agree to a cap and how proposed Queensland Government legislation would overlap with the plan.
But they have already made it clear to Mr Howard they would find unacceptable the rapid reduction in land clearing suggested at Tuesday's meeting (where it was proposed freehold land clearing be reduced to about 50,000ha a year by 2007-08).
Mr Howard told the meeting the Federal Government had two primary objectives - to maximise the "greenhouse dividend" from its compensation payments and to lock in an upper limit to Federal liabilities - and believed a cap was a desirable way to achieve its aims.
The land clearing issue is closely related to the Government's broader natural resource management strategy, which will be considered by Federal Cabinet again today. Federal officials were in Brisbane late last week in further talks with agricultural groups. The agricultural leaders, who included Agforce president Mr Larry Acton, Canegrowers chairman Mr Harry Bonanno, Queensland Farmers' Federation president Mr Richard Armstrong and Cotton Australia policy manager Mr Ralph Leutton, are intent on securing compensation for land clearing crackdowns under the Commonwealth and State schemes.
But they have widely differing views about whether a crackdown is acceptable or desirable.
The Queensland National Party and Federal backbenchers from the State argue the Commonwealth should wash its hands of the land clearing issue, leaving the Beattie Government to wear the political damage from its legislation, which controls the clearing of ecologically sensitive forests.
"Our position is total opposition to any limitations on land clearing on freehold title ... if the Commonwealth Government participates in that sort of thing in any way the electoral backlash will be enormous," Queensland backbencher Mr Bob Katter said.
The idea of tradeable land clearing permits was also raised at the meeting with agricultural leaders, sources said.
Mr Howard had nominated the Minister for the Environment, Senator Robert Hill, and the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Warren Truss, to handle the issue, but it is understood Mr Truss has largely handed control to the Minister for Forestry, Mr Wilson Tuckey. Mr Truss, a Queensland land holder himself, is understood to have been concerned about perceptions of conflict of interest. The forestry taskforce in the Prime Minister's department is also concentrating on how to reduce land clearing in Queensland.
The Queensland Government has insisted the Federal Government compensate land holders for clearing restrictions.