• Federal Labor attacks Queensland farmers with crazy climate change policy
• New federal trigger on vegetation clearing attacks farmers and state rights

• Labor’s ‘carbon tax by stealth’ policy exacerbates uncertainty already created by Palaszczuk Labor

Federal Labor Leader, Bill Shorten, has today launched an aggressive attack on Queensland’s agriculture sector, with his ideologically-driven proposal, to impose a federal ‘climate trigger’ on state vegetation management laws.

LNP Shadow Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister, Andrew Cripps, condemned the Federal Labor Leader’s new policy, slamming it as another ‘centralist’ and ‘interventionist’ policy that undermined the relationship between and Commonwealth and State Governments.

“Bill Shorten and Federal Labor are returning to their crazy old schemes on climate change, but this time they’re not only going to waste taxpayers money and drive up the cost of electricity, they’re going to create massive uncertainty for agriculture and stop northern development in its tracks,” said Mr Cripps.

“Mr Shorten’s plan rides roughshod over states’ rights to manage native vegetation, and is clearly part of a crusade by Federal Labor to resuscitate its failed and unpopular carbon tax policy.

“Labor’s ‘carbon tax by stealth’ scheme will add another layer of complexity to the massive uncertainty already created by the Palaszczuk Labor Government in Queensland with their plans to trash the LNPs sensible 2012 reforms to vegetation management.

“With this announcement of a proposed federal ‘climate trigger’ on vegetation management activities, Bill Shorten has shown himself to be an enemy of farmers, the agriculture sector and regional communities in Queensland, which need opportunities to grow and create jobs – not more red tape from Labor.

“Federal Labor is trying to use farmers as cash cows to make their climate change policy stack up. They couldn’t care less about the drastic impacts farmers will have to cop in terms of reduced productivity and plunging property values.

”Mr Cripps urged Queenslanders to reject Bill Shorten’s attack on state rights and resist Federal Labor’s climate change policy collusion with the extreme greens.

“The Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, has described Federal Labor’s new climate change policy as a ‘carbon tax on steroids’ – well there is no doubt in my mind that Bill Shorten was on something when he came up with this outrageous policy to steal the property rights of farmers and offend state rights.”

Key facts:

• LNP’s 2012 vegetation management reforms created opportunity for Northern development and jobs growth in agriculture.
• Palaszczuk Labor Government introduced legislation in March to rollback LNP reforms and again treat farmers as criminals
• If elected, Federal Labor’s climate change policy will add further controls on Queensland landholders.