[Greens-Media] Anti-environment cowboys win wind back of NSW native vegetation laws

[Peter Stahel]

Anti-environment cowboys win wind back of NSW native vegetation laws

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the NSW
Government's move to wind back native vegetation laws will take us
back to a time when land clearing was rampant, there was a soil
salinity crisis and biodiversity in the state's far-west was in
free-fall.

"Barry O’Farrell’s anti-environment cowboys in the Nationals Party are
hell-bent on winding back all laws that protect the environment. And
he is listening to them,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“The government says this is not a return to the bad old days of
broad-scale landclearing, yet this is exactly what the government is
doing.

“These laws were introduced by the previous government in an attempt
to restore soil health and conserve threatened species habitat on
private land after significant declines in both.

“The O’Farrell government is using ‘reviews’ into this state’s
environmental laws to launch a full-scale assault on any legislation
that protects biodiversity.

"The vast majority of landholders do the right thing when it comes to
looking after their land and water. In fact, many landholders I meet
across the state have planted thousands of trees on their property and
love the stewardship role they are able to play in providing habitat
to threatened and unique species.

“However laws to protect native vegetation and threatened species
habitat will always be necessary because of those landholders who do
the wrong thing,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727