Fed: Unregulated land clearing listed in federal laws

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2001
Fed: Unregulated land clearing listed in federal laws

CANBERRA, April 4 AAP - In a bid to slow down land clearing in Queensland, the federal
government today listed unregulated clearing as a threatening practice under Commonwealth
environment laws.

Environment Minister Robert Hill announced the decision, saying it should prompt Queensland
Premier Peter Beattie to finally act on the matter.

The government had accepted advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee
that unregulated clearing should be listed, he said.

Senator Hill said he would consider providing federal funds to Mr Beattie to address
the land clearing issue if he acted responsibly over it.

"Mr Beattie is the only premier refusing to accept responsibility to properly regulate
the management of native vegetation," Senator Hill said in a statement.

For months Senator Hill and Mr Beattie have engaged in a war of words on land clearing,
with the federal government demanding the Labor premier address the issue.

"This recognition by the scientific committee of the serious environmental consequences
of unregulated land clearing must prompt Premier Beattie into finally taking action to
control the hundreds of thousands of hectares of native vegetation being cleared every
year in Queensland," Senator Hill said.

"While the listing does not give the Commonwealth power to intervene, the proper response
is for the Beattie government to immediately cap uncontrolled land clearing in the same
way governments have taken action in every other state."

The Australian Conservation Foundation said the government's decision was positive
but did not go far enough.

"The ACF calls on the government to go the next step by listing clearing as a matter
of national environmental significance," ACF biodiversity campaigner Charlie Shewin told
AAP.

"This would trigger federal government involvement in land clearing proposals and give
the government the power it needs to meet its own commitment to reverse the decline in
Australia's native vegetation by June of this year."

AAP lm/daw/ge/sb

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