“I’ve been calling for fair and sensible review for 78 leases that have been caught up in Labor’s new legislation contained in the Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Bill. I’ve called for the holders of these grazing leases to at the very least be allowed to appeal any decision on their leases being cancelled because Dr Miles wants to refuse them that basic right,” Mr Bennett said.

Mr Bennett said Environment Minister Steven Miles was deliberately making false claims.

“We are not talking about grazing in World Heritage Listed National Parks, and we’ve not talking about building Las Vegas-style gaming palaces at Binna Burra – he’s made that up. We are talking about leases in forests that have been sustainably grazed by some families for generations, including the Mayne family of Carnarvon, who attained the highest levels of accreditation for sustainability.

“Dr Miles completed his doctorate in union encouragement, but perhaps he could be encouraged to undertake another PhD in handling the truth. Nowhere have I been calling for casinos in national parks as Dr Miles claims, and nowhere does Dr Miles say anything about his sneaky plan to deny the right of appeal as should be allowed when any legislation, any Minister, any government takes away the rights of any individual.”

In an extraodinary attack affecting landholders who run cattle on 78 park land leases, Environment Minister Miles said under the Newman Government, national parks were nothing more than a resource.

“The LNP’s ill-informed comments about our national parks show they have learnt nothing since losing government and treat them as play things, giving unfettered access to graziers and businesses, cows and casinos,” Dr Miles said.

“Under the Newman Government, national parks were nothing more than an exploitable resource, that’s why they changed the Nature Conservation Act in Queensland allowing commercial activities.”