Queensland tree-clearing biggest in decades

Palaszczuk government figures show a huge jump in the rate of tree-clearing in Queensland.

There has been a 33 per cent rise in tree-clearing in Queensland over a 12-month period to 395,000ha. Picture: Getty Images

Palaszczuk government figures showing a huge jump in the rate of tree-clearing in Queensland is being used as an election eve ­platform to resurrect Labor’s ­vegetation management laws that were voted down last year in the hung parliament.

The annual Statewide Landcover and Trees Study yesterday reported the highest level of clearing in almost two decades in 2015-16, with a 33 per cent rise over a 12-month period to 395,000ha.

It is understand the surge ­involved some “panic clearing’’ before the government’s failed ­attempt to reverse the previous Liberal National Party government’s relaxation of vegetation management laws that had ­allowed broadscale clearing.

The study — which involves satellite imagery and some follow-up land inspections — also reported that tree clearing in catchments of the Great Barrier Reef had risen almost 50 per cent since 2012-13.

The government described the report as “alarming” and called for a mandate at the looming election to crack down on the practice, sparking accusations from the ­opposition of pre-election “farmer bashing”.

Releasing the latest satellite data yesterday, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Environment Minister Steven Miles — who kept their inner-city Brisbane electorates at the last election thanks to Greens preferences — said tree-clearing had quadrupled in 2015-16 under their predecessor’s relaxed laws.

“We need a parliament in Queensland that recognises that this is an unsustainable problem that needs urgent redress,” Ms Trad said yesterday.

“And we hope that after the next state election there will be a parliament with a majority Labor position, that will change the laws in Queensland so we can protect native habitat and ensure the survival of many of our native flora and fauna.”

The Newman government dramatically relaxed tree-clearing laws during its one-term reign, lifting a ban on broadscale clearing for high-value agriculture.

Liberal National Party natural resources spokesman Andrew Cripps said the government was manipulating the figures and ­“farmer bashing”.

“Here we go again — on the eve of an election Jackie Trad and Steven Miles release distorted clearing figures that paint farmers as environmental vandals just to win green votes in the southeast corner — it’s shameful,” he said.

“Yet again Labor has deceptively included practices such as fodder harvesting to feed starving livestock and clearing firebreaks and fence lines as ‘broadscale land clearing’ in a deliberate attempt to inflate clearing figures.’’

The report showed 86,000ha of clearing occurred in the “mulga lands” region of southwest Queensland, where it is common to fell mulga trees so drought-­affected stock can feed on the leaves. The trees then regrow.

AgForce president Grant Maudsley said Labor’s use of words such as “deforestation” to describe the landclearing was misleading. “Despite the Palaszczuk Labor government’s scaremongering, the reality is this report ­reveals only 0.23 per cent of Queensland’s total land area was cleared in 2015-16 and about two-thirds of that was to manage ­regrowth,” Mr Maudsley said.

Wilderness Society national director Lyndon Schneiders said the tree-clearing was a ­national catastrophe and disgrace.

“In Queensland alone now, an area equivalent to 23 Moreton ­Islands is being bulldozed a year,’’ he said.