Queensland Election 2017: Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk ambushed by farmer over land clearing laws
AN ANGRY farmer has confronted Anastacia Palasczcuk while she watched the Melbourne Cup in a regional Queensland town, blasting her reintroduction of controversial laws as pandering to the Green vote.
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CONTROVERSIAL tree clearing laws caused trouble for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as her campaign entered the country races in the rural Queensland town of Kumbia.
While she mingled with race goers in the small town in the electorate of Nanago, local beef cattle farmer Jim Hancock gave the Premier a piece of his mind when it came to Labor’s proposes land clearing restrictions.
“What I can’t understand is why the hell we have a bureaucrat telling a farmer what to do,” he said.
“The cost squeeze today, if a farmer makes a mistake he’s gone.
“Four generations, 100 years of farming and our soil today is better than it was 100 years ago.
“A bureaucrat is Brisbane or Sydney or Canberra isn’t going to do anything good. He hasn’t got a bloody clue.
“Now they want to tell us we can’t clear your land, well give me a break.”
Mr Hancock said it appeared the Premier was chasing Greens voters.
“She’s worried about losing Green votes and Green votes don’t want you to cut down trees,” he said.
“But Green votes won’t produce the clothes you’re wearing or the food you’re eating.”
He said the Premier attempted to explain her policy, which includes paying farmers to plant trees as part of a scheme to create green bonds to sell for carbon credits.
“I reckon it’s bullsh-t, pretty much,” Mr Hancock said.
In a campaign crossover, Opposition deputy leader Deb Frecklington was at the same race day, which is in her electorate.
While the Premier and Ms Frecklington came within 2m of each other, there was no meeting.
Ms Frecklington said she could speak to the Premier at any time, while she was sure locals were keen to talk tree clearing.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of people that want to say hello to the Premier and ask her what the hell she’s doing about native vegetation laws,” she said.
On Saturday Ms Palaszczuk reiterated her plan to reintroduced the land clearing restrictions and announced a $500 million Land Restoration Fund.
Under this policy the government will issue bonds through Queensland Treasury Corporation for farmers to plant trees which could be sold as carbon credits to big business seeking to meet Paris Agreement climate targets.
Ms Palaszczuk said on Saturday it would lower emissions, and create new industry.
“We will offer green bonds through QTC that will see extra development happening in this state and the protection of key areas,” she said.
“This is about getting conservation right but also backing the best standards that farmers implement from day to day.”
Planning Minister Jackie Trad said the land clearing laws had to be brought back because trees were being cut down at “unacceptable and unbelievable” rates.
“We now are clearing some 1000 football fields a day right throughout Queensland,” she said.
LNP SPLASHES CASH AT FARMERS
MORE than 17,000 farmers will be paid $1400 a year to reduce their power bills under a new $75 million cash splash by the LNP.
But recipients won’t be required to spend the cash on anything in particular, with LNP Leader Tim Nicholls saying the party trusts them to use the money wisely.
The ‘Food and Fibre Transition Payment’ will go to farmers and irrigators on tariffs 62, 65 and 66 over the next three years from July 2018 before the tariffs are phased out in 2020 and new, yet-to-be-set tariffs are introduced in 2021.
The LNP’s policy document says “it is hoped the assistance will be invested in smart meters, energy audits, energy-efficient technology or just paying down rising power bills”.
However, it also says “farmers can use the transition payment for any purpose”.
Mr Nicholls, who visited a Bundaberg watermelon and sweet potato farm in Burnett to announce the policy, said the payments would be made per connection,
It means some farmers will qualify for more than one payment.
The total cost of the policy will be $75 million over three years, but Mr Nicholls would not reveal how the policy will be funded until official policy costings are released in the week before the November 25 poll.
“For smaller farms, for example, they can use it to help pay the power bill because they’re struggling to pay the power bill,” he said.
“For people who want to invest in smart meters so that they can monitor and control their power use, they can invest in those.
“For those who want to move to high-efficiency pumps, they can do that.
“But it is a way of saying to our farmers, people on the land, we trust you, we know the pain you’ve been going through ... you are free to use that in the best way you see fit to deal with rising power prices.”
Energy Minister Mark Bailey said the announcement palled in comparison to Labor’s Energy Saver Plus (ESP) program.
He said the program provided free energy efficiency audits to farmers and paid a 50 per cent contribution of up to $20,000 to implement energy-saving recommendations from those audits.
“The ESP has won support from growers across the state, and has been endorsed by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation,” Mr Bailey said.
“Farmers from Mareeba to the Darling Downs are reporting huge savings through ESP audits that identify efficiencies and reduce power usage.”
He said most farms had made energy-savings of between 20 to 40 per cent.
“This Food and Fibre Transition Payment is just a thought bubble Mr Nicholls is using to try and win back the support of farmers who still remember the pain of LNP power price surges,” he said. “He has refused to explain how this latest program will be funded, along with $2 billion worth of campaign promises that the LNP has already made”.
Mr Nicholls said he can give a “guarantee” he won’t surprise voters with deep cuts but will still wait until just before Queenslanders vote to outline exactly how he’ll pay for a suite of new election promises.
The LNP Leader said all new commitments were fully costed but wouldn’t be outlined until the dying days of the campaign.
“We’ve got a few more commitments to make yet so we’ll be releasing them as the normal process, we’ll be releasing them just prior to the election as we always do,” he said.
Asked whether he could guarantee there wouldn’t be “significant cost cutting” this time around, considering deep cuts during his time as treasurer during the Newman Government, he replied: “Yes. I’ve just given you the guarantee.”
Mr Nicholls has previously said he will look at ending some programs and he today left the option open of severing some jobs programs up for renewal.
“What we’ll be looking at is programs that have reached the end of their life,” he said.
Mr Nicholls did not outline a plan to pay down the state’s debt when asked to, saying only that the LNP would manage the state’s finances “sustainably”.
“We will continue to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used wisely and is spent on delivering the services that they need, including dealing with things like increasing power prices, managing waste, and ensuring that we deliver over the economic cycle a balanced fiscal Budget,” he said.
The LNP Leader also took a swipe at the Premier’s shaky campaign, suggesting disorganised people should not be running the state.
“A well organised, well planned campaign is a sign of a well-organised, well-planned potential government,” he said.
“And I simply say to the people of Queensland: If you want people who do know their own minds, who do have solid policies, policies that are important to you, then the LNP and your local LNP candidate are the people to support.”
Originally published as Queensland Election 2017: Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk ambushed by farmer over land clearing laws
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