ALP National Conference: Labor’s green arm fails to win support for native logging ban

A push to ban native forest logging has failed at the ALP national conference, but delegates did agree to begin transitioning towards “deforestation commitments”.

Labor’s internal green lobby arm has failed to have a ban on native forest logging and broadacre land clearing passed by delegates at the party’s national conference.

However, the Labor Environment Action Network did win some concessions, including a commitment from Agriculture Minister Murray Watt that the ALP will rewrite its national forestry policy to begin a transition towards increased timber forest plantations.

It was revealed prior to the conference that the LEAN motion was supported by over 350 ALP branches.

However, the powerful CFMEU stood against it on the conference floor, saying the motion was ignoring forestry workers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 49th ALP National Conference 2023 in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled

National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson called on the ALP on Monday to vote down LEAN’s “Climate, Clearing and Cows” proposal the NFF labelled as being “anti-farming”.

The LEAN amendment that was carried on Thursday states:

“Labor is committed to delivering the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on forests and land use which commits Australia to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.

“Labor recognises that deforestation increases greenhouse gas emissions. Labor will deploy a variety of policy responses to deliver on our emission reduction and deforestation commitments including robust and additional nature-based solutions to prevent forest loss and degradation.

“Labor will work with the states and territories on national vegetation mapping and monitoring programs.”

While LEAN had earlier pushed to increase timber plantation logging and end native logging, national co-covenor Felicity Wade congratulated the Albanese govenrment for agreeing to rewrite its policy to effectively progress towards more plantations.

The conference was told the policy, currently based on the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement, will be updated during the current term of government.

EARLIER

Farm leaders have urged delegates to vote down an “anti-farming” motion at this week’s ALP national conference they believe could trigger job losses across the agricultural supply chain.

The “Climate, Clearing and Cows” motion has been proposed by the powerful Labor Environment Action Network and has the support of 300 Labor branches on economic and environment grounds.

It will see the Albanese government face rank-and-file pressure at the conference to end native forest logging and broadscale land clearing before the next election.

National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson is particularly concerned that the motion was “misinformed” in seeking to halve all methane emissions by 2030.

National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson. Picture: John Elliott

A copy of the LEAN amendment regarding methane, already submitted to national conference organisers and seen by The Weekly Times, states: “Labor supports research, development and deployment of technologies to reduce methane from livestock.

“We will continue to work with the industry to identify and overcome technological, economic and social barriers, including consideration of large-scale trials of technologies and of mechanisms to reward the emissions savings, with a view to meaningfully reduce methane emissions from agriculture.”

Ms Simson called on conference delegates to be “clearheaded” about what Labor stands for when voting.

“This motion is about taking farms out of production, killing jobs and pushing up food prices,” she said.

“We’re not just talking about farming jobs, but also in trucking, in stevedoring and, of course, in meat processing – our largest manufacturing industry.

“Is (the motion) protecting jobs and tackling the cost of living? Or pleasing environmental outliers who have turned their back on science and common sense?

“This is not a sensible policy for a mainstream political party. Voting this through would be an open armed embrace of fringe views that are anti-science and anti-farming.”

Labor Environment Action Network national co-convener Felicity Wade. Picture: Ryan Osland/The Australian

However, LEAN national co-convener Felicity Wade said LEAN’s amendment is calling for the government to support the agricultural industry through investment and financial rewards for cutting carbon footprints.

“These emissions reductions should provide on-farm income,” she said.

“Our motion is all about supporting the industry’s efforts to fix this problem. Farmers are an important part of the solution to our climate and biodiversity crisis.

“Australia should have the cleanest, greenest beef production in the world. There is a lot that is great about our beef industry – our beef roams free, avoiding so many of the negative impacts of intensive feedlot production.

“But currently our beef drives globally significant rates of land clearing and deforestation so we need to get this under control, including through payments for the carbon and biodiversity gains.”

Meanwhile, LEAN also wants broadscale land clearing ended through “robust regulatory regimes” and “targeted incentives” in carbon and biodiversity markets.

A “national plantation estate” model would then attempt to balance plantation expansion and concurrent high-value land use through “long term leases with farmers and landholders”.

Ms Wade said the question of where to site plantations to not compromise agricultural land, “while at the same time having enough water, good soil as well as access to markets”, was not straightforward.

It is currently unknown how many delegates intend on voting to add the proposal inclusion to the party’s national policy platform.