Page warns on clearing of high-conservation land
The Biodiversity Banking legislation introduced by State Labor will enable the clearing of high-conservation land on the coast in exchange for plantings of other vegetation in the upper parts of river catchments, Member for Ballina Don Page said.
Mr Page said Labor’s legislation would give developers the ability to clear high-conservation coastal vegetation if they agreed to plant compensatory vegetation in some other part of the Catchment Management Area (CMA).
“This is a potential disaster for coastal communities and coastal ecosystems where high coastal property values provide developers with a huge incentive to clear coastal vegetation for development purposes in exchange for plantings on much cheaper land to the west,” Mr Page said.
He said the Coalition had voted against the legislation, and had subsequently successfully moved in the Legislative Assembly to establish a Parliamentary Committee to oversee the legislation.
“It is becoming more apparent all the time why this Labor Government abolished the Coastal Council and took over the consent role for significant development approvals in coastal areas,” Mr Page said.
“I’m sure the Coastal Council would never have supported legislation like this.”
