The department had pre-empted the vote on Labor’s punitive new vegetation management laws, issuing an email statement to landholders advising that more accurate mapping of Queensland’s high-value regrowth vegetation is now available online.

That improved mapping was later referred to by deputy premier Jackie Trad in the heated debate in parliament defense of the draconian new laws, prompting fears that the natural resources department was again being used as a politicised weapon against farmers.   

The department has long come under heavy criticism from farm groups, landholders, and rural legal specialists for relying on flawed mapping in efforts to prosecute landholders. During the Beattie and Bligh eras, the department was also heavily criticised for its overly politicilised approach to land management and overzealous approach to securing prosecutions against farmers.

Under the Palaszczuk government’s new laws basic civil liberties would have been trampled, including the introduction of reverse onus of proof laws, meaning farmers charged with an offence would be required to prove their innocence. In addition, farmers would not have been able to have used mistake of fact as a defense. Incredibly, under those proposed laws farmers would not have been able to have used errors in government mapping as a defence. 

The department issued a email to landholders early this week announcing more accurate mapping of Queensland’s high-value regrowth vegetation was available. 

High-value regrowth is vegetation which regrown on country that has previously been cleared but regrown to a stage where it could be reclassified as remnant vegetation. It was a commitment breaking concept developed by the extreme green movement and used by former premier Anna Bligh to secure green preferences during her term in office. 

Despite the failure of the Palaszczuk government’s controversial laws, the management of vegetation remains highly regulated.

Property level vegetation maps can be requested online at: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/vegetation/map-request/

AgForce president Grant Maudsley said inaccuracies of the government’s regional ecosystem and regrowth mapping has been known about for a long time.

“Inaccurate mapping is also one of the reasons why the removal of the ‘mistake of fact’ defense in the proposed vegetation management laws was so offensive,” Mr Maudsley said.

“Under the proposed laws landholders would have copped the blame for the government’s wrong map.”

Landholders wanting more information on vegetation maps, or Queensland’s vegetation management framework, were encouraged to contact The Vegetation Hub on 135VEG (135 834), by email vegetation@dnrm.qld.gov.au, or through the department’s website www.dnrm.qld.gov.au