The
first of the NSW Government’s biodiversity reforms went on public exhibition on
May 3 for eight weeks. These proposed
new laws are to replace other legislation including the Native Vegetation Act 2003
and the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
The
draft Biodiversity Conservation Bill and the draft Local Land Services
Amendment Bill are the first parts of the reform package to be released.
The stated
purpose of the reforms is to “cut red tape, facilitate ecologically sustainable
development and conserve biodiversity across NSW”.
The
cutting of red tape purpose is the result of the National Party promise to
farmers that they would repeal the Native Vegetation Act. The new rules will specify a system of
self-regulation for farmers wanting to clear land – a system that the
Government says will provide them with greater flexibility.
Self-regulation
is a mantra of government in the 21st century. It may be inspired by the desire to cut red
tape for consumers as well as cutting costs for government agencies or, as a
cynic may suspect, to allow “open slather” where there is usually very little
checking by government agencies of whether the letter or spirit of the law is
being met. Whatever the Government’s motive, self-regulation is wide-open to
abuse.
Whether
the new system will “facilitate ecologically sustainable development and
conserve biodiversity” is very doubtful.
Conservationists
believe that the Government’s proposed changes to land clearing will endanger
more species and lead to further carbon emissions.
There is
concern that there will be increased clearing. We could see a similar
devastation of native vegetation to that occurring in Queensland following the
Newman Government’s weakened clearing laws. Almost 300,000 hectares of bushland
were cleared there in 2013-14.
According
to NSW Environment Minister Mark Speakman this won’t happen because there will
be “a wider range of checks and balances in place to make sure that what we might
have seen in Queensland does not happen in NSW.”
The
checks and balances will need to be carefully designed and properly funded if
the new rules are not to lead to broadscale land clearing.
-
Leonie Blain
This post originally appeared in the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner on 9th May, 2016.
