Nationals MLC Scott Barrett has called on the Federal Government to properly consult regional communities before locking up millions of hectares of land for conservation.
Mr Barrett, the duty MLC for Orange and Barwon, said recent comments by Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Murray Watt, outlining plans to purchase 39 million hectares for conservation by 2030, are deeply concerning for western NSW.
“The government is proposing to remove an area the size of Japan from productive agriculture, which will have consequences for regional communities and local economies similar to damage caused by Labor’s water buybacks,” Mr Barrett said.
Mr Barrett said while critical ecosystems need to be protected, current approaches risk rushed, over-priced, bulk land purchases in order to reach an arbitrary target, rather than targeted and effective conservation.
The new target from the Federal Government comes as the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service recently purchased another 71,000 hectares of farmland near Ivanhoe, adding to the almost one million hectares purchased in the last few years.
“In NSW we have seen the government purchase millions of acres of land in western NSW to meet these arbitrary goals,” Mr Barrett said.
“That’s fewer families in town, less volunteers at the local footy club, less work for contractors in the area.
“Areas like Bourke and the Unincorporated Far West Area have already done their fair share of conservation with millions of hectares of farmland purchased in recent years.”
“We need to make sure the balance is right between protecting the environment and ensuring our regional communities continue to thrive,” Mr Barrett said.
