THE native vegetation laws that came under intense scrutiny following the alleged murder of Tamworth compliance officer Glen Turner look certain to be repealed.
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An independent panel reviewing the state’s biosecurity laws announced yesterday its support for scrapping the controversial land-clearing legislation.
The experts have joined with a number of politicians, including Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson and New England MP Barnaby Joyce, in calling for change.
Mr Turner, 51, was allegedly shot and killed by elderly Croppa Creek farmer Ian Robert Turnbull on July 29 while enforcing the Native Vegetation Act.
Turnbull had long been pursued by the Office of Environment and Heritage over illegal land clearing and in September was convicted and fined $140,000.
In many of the almost 400 submissions the panel received it was noted the farming community feels the act “prevented them from getting on with the business of farming”.
“Many felt ‘unfairly persecuted’ and felt the system assumes all farmers are doing the wrong thing,” the report stated.
“(The panel) recommends repealing the Native Vegetation Act 2003 (as) the act has not met expectations as a central pillar of biodiversity conservation in NSW.”
The Turner family lodged an emotional submission with the panel just weeks after Mr Turner’s death saying calls for the act to be repealed was a “source of great hurt”.
They said “no landholder in Australia has an unfettered right to deal with their land as they will” and asked for “increased controls” over clearing.
“We are concerned about amendments being made to the existing legislation which would have a negative impact on those matters which lay at the heart of Glen’s work as an environmental officer,” the family said.
“Glen’s role was critically important to ensuring that the long-term environmental, social and economic interests of this state in maintaining and preserving biodiversity were upheld.”
Nature Conservation Council chief executive officer Kate Smolski said the NSW government would use the review to “weaken environment protections”.
“The recommendations, if adopted, will likely lead to more land clearing and loss of species unless the replacement legislation enhances the existing protections,” she said.
The panel concedes repealing the act, including the all-important “maintain or improve” provision, could see “some losses of biodiversity”.
