This is a public relations disaster for farmers. Yesterday the QLD State government announced it had run out of patience with farm industries attempts to self-regulate pollution of the Great Barrier Reef.
The state government has invested $100 million over the last 5 years, with farmers being allow to self-regulate their farming practices:
.
“Queensland climate change minister Andrew McNamara [pictured] said almost all of the run-off problem was attributable to agriculture.
Reality is that 90 per cent of the runoff problems in the reef are from agricultural practices.
.
For Farm Peak bodies to come out kicking and screaming about the government now moving to legislate that farmers must adopt best practises to protect the world famous, iconic Great Barrier Reef is a ‘force 10′ public relations disaster.
The Federal & State Governments have committed $300 million dollars of tax payers money over the next 5 years. The biggest percentage of that money will go to farmers and farm lobby groups in an effort to save the Reef.
To have our farm bodies in the national media saying the government is ‘picking a fight with farmers’ in the all out attempts to save the national icon is just plain dumb.
If you wanted to portray to 21 million Australians that Farmers are ‘red necked, environmental vandals’ - I just could not think of a better way to do it.
On ABC’s Late Line :
.
MATT WORDSWORTH: Experts say coral needs low nutrient water so the nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that’s running off the land is devastating. The Premier wants new farming regulations, indicating she’s lost patience with the voluntary system introduced in 2003.
ANNA BLIGH, QUEENSLAND PREMIER: Both carrot and stick are generally the best way forward. There’s been a lot of carrot in the last five years. I think it’s time for us to put a little bit of enforcement into the equation.
JOHN CHERRY, QLD FARMERS’ FEDERATION: And we see the State Government determined to undermine that by picking a fight with farmers over regulation of farming practices.
.
Todays Headline in Brisbanes Courier Mail Screamed Farmers Angry at Run-Off laws to save the Barrier Reef.
.
Ms Bligh said research had shown five years of voluntary adoption of land management practices under the 2003 10-year Reef Water Quality Action Plan had not worked.
Queensalnd Farmers Federation CEO John Cherry protesting against the move said
“Landholders will be very disappointed.”
Canegrowers CEO Ian Ballantyne said:
“Mr Ballantyne said while the federal Reef Rescue Plan would support farmers to adopt best practice, the state had moved to undermine it.”
.
The Sydney Morning Herald carried the article headline QLD May Regulate Farms to Save Reef
But Queensland farming groups say the regulatory approach will not lead to the best outcome for the natural icon.
Brett de Hayr, CEO of broadacre farm lobby AgForce, said
“Industry certainly recognises we need to look at controls for those people who won’t do the right thing, but for states to move down a purely regulatory approach - you don’t get best practice from regulation, you get the lowest common denominator.”
John Cherry, CEO of the Queensland Farmers Federation, agreed.
“We believe we can move a lot more farmers to best practice through voluntary measures. We are concerned that regulation will undermine goodwill and make it harder to achieve that.”
.
In announcing the Federal Governments $23 million dollar assistance package which is on top of the $25 million a year that the QLD government has invested over the last 5 years Ag Minister Tony Mr Burke said.
.
“Most of this $23 million will help farmers in the sugar, horticulture, grazing, cropping and dairy industries to continue that good work, which will boost productivity and reduce costs.”
Projects will include:
• Use of GPS-guided farming to reduce soil compaction and erosion.
• Managing and re-vegetating cane drains.
• Converting machinery to use fertilisers and herbicides more efficiently.
• Improve reef lagoon water quality.
.
Heres the deal -
- The Australian public demands that the Great Barrier Reef be protected.
- It’s a national icon in case our farm leaders hadn’t noticed.
- The state government has thrown $100m of QLD tax payers money at it over the last 5 years.
- The state and federal governments will throw another $300 million in tax payers money at it in the next 5 years.
- The majority of that money will go to farmers to help them adapt their farming methods.
With all of that happening the state farming bodies want to retain the ability for farmers to decide if they will or won’t be bothered doing whats necessary to stop polluting the reef.
What John Cherry may as well have said is that 21 million Australians are picking a fight with farmers.
The public is not interested in regulating farmers in North QLD, they just want the Reef protected … period.
If farmers won’t stop polluting the reef, then the Australian public, not just the QLD public expect that the state government will legislate to make them do it.
This is not a creek out the back of woop woop we are talking about, its the Great Barrier Reef - One of the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World - Get It?
(thanks to Agmate’s reader Dean)
Have Your say!
While I applaud the State Governments stated concern for the reef, the timing with an election in the offing leaves me cynical.
This move to further regulation by the state will leave urban voters and the environmental lobby more satisfied and likely to vote Labour - as usual with Labour there may be some positives but it will alway be about votes.
I am sure there are strong arguements for regulating against run off into reefs - my concern is that just before elections rural people get the latest stringent measure lobbed on them to increase the urban green vote.
In south east queensland one of the biggest problems for our fisheries and marine parks would have to be polluted stormwater/ sewer outfall and over dammmed rivers.
I have yet to hear the state government taking developers / dam builders and urban voters to task for the envrionmental impact on fisheries with more stringent regulation.
Tree clearing is a good example - the amount of clearing near brisbane for new houseing estates is incredible and any individual on less than 5 Hectares can clear what they like - Rural areas however are heavily regulated via the Vegetation Management Act and this regulation at prior elections bought votes.
I will remain cynical of such moves by the State Government until I see a more even handed approach - I doubt i ever will.
Developers will never have to filter stormwater on site and suburban gardens and businesses will continue to use pesticide and fertisliser. Less of a problem in the less populated north but more and more so in south east QLD.
You will never see urban dwellers regulated the same way rural voters are - such regulatation loses rather than gains labour votes
pleased to see the article carries the message that sometimes the ‘peak bodies’ that are supposed to represent farmers don’t always speak up well for them i.e. giving public impression that farmers will resent planned moves.
sure, regulation gets a lot of people worked up, i’m not immune to that either - but when our taxes are being literally poured into fixing something downstream, whilst the problem keeps coming from something upriver, where the odd landholder might be too digruntled, underfunded or just ‘hasn’t got around to fixing it yet’ - when this sort of thing is happening, then why not push change? otherwise the money/effort/resources keep getting wasted on band-aid solutions instead of stopping the bleeding.
seems human nature to get by with as little effort as possible (most animals do!) - so of course we’ll avoid change if we think it will take effort… hence the development of society going from ‘group motivation’ in its infancy, to ‘governance’ and ‘regulation’ in the modern age…
sure, letting the ’self regulation’ of any industry can work where the theory of the good ones will be more economically/socially viable etc and the worse ones will then fade away… but the unknown factor in this approach is how long before the process runs its course? so something to push along stragglers is sometimes a good thing. and those farmers up north that have already taken to minimal till and overnight halved their fertiliser use and reduced runoff and sediment loss - well, they’ll be ahead of the regulations and they might be quietly glad to have their messier neighbours pulled up and given a stern lesson!
I don’t think the focus is on farmers either for this one - the few major problem sources may be agricultural land, but the eyes are also on development and intensive industry, maybe it just doesn’t make as good a headline… or some of those industries might still be trying to throw their weight (or brown paper bags) around the corridors of our governments!
If you want rule by the corporation for your children I DON’T - I have two young teenagers and I intend to do my best to bring more truth and justice into our system - you tell me your theory about what has gone on in the last 10 years with this idiotic government/ corporate ‘war on terror’ on us. I will be very happy to consider it.
BRING IN THE NANNY STATE - BIG BROTHER BIG GOVERNMENT WANTS A SOCIALIST AUSTRALIA
Its the stupid government and their stupid unscientific reports that are the problem here. Anyway they can get rid of farmers and fishermen they’ll do it.
G’day Von,
From what you have screamed above I take it your against any form of government regulation.
Just tell me - if it was Industrial factories dumping sediment, Pesticide & fertilizer into the barrier reef waters would you still feel the same?
Is that what your saying - any industry should be allowed to pollute any water way they like. No regulation - just free and open slather?
Is that what you’re demanding?
We have too much government intervention and regulations - government and government bodies have regulated and are regulating us to death.
I would be very surprised if the cane farmers are using too much fertilizer as it is very expensive.
The Queensland government and Federal government DOES NOT WANT FOOD OR FIBRE PRODUCED IN THIS COUNTRY BY SMALL GROWERS and they will come up with phony scientific reports to push their agenda.
After the government Garnaut report about carbon trading nonsense and grazing kangaroos I am VERY VERY SUSPICIOUS OF EVERY GOVERNMENT REPORT.
When the government FEARS the people we have LIBERTY but when the people FEAR the government we have TYRANNY.
If we are not very lucky we will have more and more TYRANNY by our State and Federal governments.
Many of them in government are GLOBALISTS who want the wealth and power of Australia, US/Israel , Britain , France in a handful of corporations which will control the western world.
Government/ corporations have carried out 911 and other terrorist bombings and the illegal wars of Iraq and Afganistan and the present financial collapse to bring in their global financial regulations and new currency to further their world government.
So far the criminals are still sticking to their plan. Next week the criminals are meeting in Washington to bring in global financial rules and regulations - one step closer for them to world government - I hope their power is weakening - we shall see.
Most people do not want to think about how terrible these people are .
For God sake Von, Can you stop hijacking every issue and bringing it back to your own whacked out conspiracy, tyranny rant!
Sorry cant stick to playing the ball not the man because every single issue comes back to this crazy crap.
Sue, what is the good of a guard dog that does not bark?
When I was young I used to wonder why the Germans went along with Hitler, and why the Jews allowed themselves to be herded up like sheep and sent off to the gas chambers. After all he had made his intentions known years before. The trouble was people did not want to believe such crazy things could happen in their comfortable homeland.
Von has been doing her research and discovering unpalatable things that others have been warning about for decades. Some of her ideas and links may seem a bit whacky, but her main thrust lines up with that of many other respectable commentators.
She is doing her bit at being a vigilant Aussie,at the risk of being ridiculed by scoffers.
Thank-you Rosalie - we are always learning and it is very good idea to be vigilant as extremists and criminals will use religion and race to divide and control us and to instil fear to keep us feeling helpless.
Psychological Control : States of Mental Disempowerment
On a farming note - We are about to start our barley and wheat harvest and I heard yesterday that there is a huge amount of sorghum still sitting in storage because all ships are tied up transporting coal.
Charming isn’t it - Bug#er food - coal is the thing to worry about.
Common sense flew out the window a long time ago.
“A bit whacky” more like BARKING MAD!!!
Are you a farmer Sue?
I would love to hear your story about what you think has been going on Sue during the reign of Howard and Rudd - you must have one - I’m looking forward to hearing it.
No Von, I’m not a farmer - I didn’t realise it was a pre requisite. (You don’t have to be a horse to judge a horse do you Von?)
I do live and work in a rural community and have plenty of interaction with farming families and empathy with their plight - and anyone else in our world doing it tough. Hardships are not the exclusive rights of farmers.
If you really want to know here’s my story (Apologies for the picture)
I too have teenage children (3 in fact) who I endevour to fill with hope for their future and love for their fellow man rather than filling their heads with fear, conspiracy theories and suspicion of all they meet.
There’s enough angry people about. You know - Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. - There but for the grace of God go I. - There is no one in this world better or worse than you.
I know there is plenty wrong with this world and all I can do is make a difference in the areas within my control, my community, my children and standing up for injustices as I see them.
I hope to turn out socially responsible, thinking human beings with positivity in their hearts. I have great faith in their generation.
Whilst I respect your right to your opinion Von I resent having it jammed down my neck at every opportunity regardless of it’s relevance to the topic up for discussion.
With every issue being taken down the 9/11 , criminals, corporate terror (rave, rave, rave) route we miss the opportunity of meaningful discussion and in the process plausible opportunities for opening our minds and improving the situation.
I should mention my Partner is 100% Pro Australian Farmer…. but then again I’m a very independent woman.
That is very good but I am pleased that I understood that there were criminals running the western world starting with 911 - I got out of the share market and got our property out of debt instead of getting very hurt like a lot of people are now suffering.
If you don’t understand it is the end of an era - the end of the British/US/Israel Empire and the rich at the top of western economies are grabbing what they can befor the power completely goes to the East - and will let us drop.
I’m not angry but I am very sad for people who do not understand what is going on because they are going to get very hurt.
THE TIDE IS TURNING - FARMERS ARE GETTING SOME POWER BACK AT LAST
CONGRATULATIONS to Warren Truss and John Cotter speaking out for farmers at last.
On today’s country hour Warren Truss said the Nationals will not agree to a carbon trading scheme without competitor countries signing up to one.
John Cotter has taken a stand with cane farmers against more government regulations backed by WWF. He said the government report is full of flaws.