Farming at risk in Queensland’s Lake Eyre basin plan

The Palaszczuk government is considering broad protections to parts of Lake Eyre basin that could rule out farming.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch.

The Palaszczuk government is considering broad protections to extended parts of Lake Eyre basin catchments that could rule out farming or resources exploration.

On the last Friday before Christmas, Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch announced the government would review the legislation in place to protect the basin, which encompasses some of the best cattle grazing country in Queensland.

She said the government was consulting with “stakeholders” to protect the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre basin as part of an election commitment to “ensure the state’s pristine rivers are protected”.

A confidential “consultation briefing”, seen by The Australian, outlines some of the government’s proposed plans, which include significantly increasing the protected zones and lengthening the list of activities that would be prohibited within these areas.

The government has not briefed the public about the changes, inviting only “targeted stakeholders” to be part of the consultation process.

“The DES has invited stakeholders to make submissions and it’s expected these stakeholders will liaise with, and represent interested members of the public in their submissions,” a Department of Environment and Science spokesman said.

The consultation with conservation organisations, agricultural lobbyists and the resources sector has been led by the government’s Pristine Rivers Inter-Departmental Committee.

“DES has also undertaken targeted consultation throughout 2018 and 2019 with First Nations groups, the scientific community, the conservation sector and local governments through the Remote Area Planning and Development Board,” the DES spokesman said.

Asked which groups constituted the “stakeholders”, the department listed three conservation organisations, three resources sector groups, five mining companies and one agriculture body.

Graziers, fearing a loss of livelihood, said they were unaware of the proposed changes and had been told by the department to consult with AgForce about what was being suggested.

Asked whether the proposed changes would affect graziers, the DES spokesman said: “DES is undertaking targeted consultation to ensure an appropriate balance between the agricultural industry and environmental conservation.”

The government announced the changes on December 20 and has set a January 24 deadline for responses. The DES spokesman said “targeted stakeholders” had been informed about how submissions could be made.

Queensland National Party senator Susan McDonald said it would be detrimental to the environment to turn parts of the basin over to the government.

“The reason they’ve called it (the government committee) ‘Pristine Rivers’ is because it is so pristine,” she said. “This is land that has been managed so well that, according to Labor, it’s worth preserving. The government doesn’t have a good track record in managing national parks.”

Under premier Campbell Newman, the LNP repealed the Wild Rivers legislation introduced by Labor in 2005 and which was strengthened in 2009 following a High Court ruling the legislation was invalid as it breached the rights of indigenous Australians.