The Palaszczuk Government has continued to pander to green activists and overseas bureaucrats while refusing to consult with Queensland’s farmers and landholders over important legislation, as it continues to manipulate environmental issues for political gain.

Shadow Natural Resources Minister, Andrew Cripps, said Deputy Premier Jackie Trad’s media statement following another meeting with UNESCO was a clear message to green activists that the agriculture sector was still very much a target for Labor in Queensland.

Mr Cripps said after Labor’s unfair and unnecessary changes to Queensland’s vegetation management framework were rejected by the Parliament, the Palaszczuk Government had failed to accept the defeat or take the opportunity to talk to the agriculture sector.

“We’ve had AgForce, the QFF and Growcom all issue statements calling for greater certainty about vegetation management legislation to increase confidence and attract new investment in agriculture, but Labor has again turned its back on the bush” said Mr Cripps.

“Jackie Trad went to Bonn last year to make promises to UNESCO and she’s gone to Paris this year to make more promises to UNESCO – but as usual, the Palaszczuk Government has left Queensland’s farmers and landholders out of the loop” he said.

“Labor is trading on the legacy of the former LNP Government’s excellent track record of protecting the Great Barrier Reef – including strong investment in water quality and environmental programs and sustainable ports legislation – to win brownie points with UNSECO”.

“If the Palaszczuk Government put the same effort into understanding Queensland’s agriculture sector as it did ingratiating itself to overseas bureaucrats, it may find there is no need for it to be running this elaborate scare campaign about the future of the Great Barrier Reef”. 

Mr Cripps said investment in practical initiatives along with strong industry and community partnerships would be more beneficial for the future of the Great Barrier Reef than Labor’s politically motivated campaigns the ideological games played by green activists.   

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/9/27/palaszczuk-government-affirms-commitment-to-protect-the-great-barrier-reef