He described environmental laws as a “tangled mess” and he urged a rationalising of requirements which might impact on farming.
“Our members have said for years that the current act is broken,” Mr Jochinke said.
“It’s hard to engage with producers who want to do the right thing, and in some instances it’s preventing best practice management of the landscape.
“Unpicking this tangled mess of overlapping state and federal rules and making it work better for everyone takes time, so we’re pleased to see the minister deciding not to rush this through.”
Farmers say they’ll wait to see the legislation underpinning the Environment Protection Agency and Environment Information Australia before forming a view on the second tranche of environmental law reforms announced by Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on April 16.
However, the NFF has welcomed the minister’s decision to stage the reforms, allowing more time for scrutiny of broader legislative changes.
“The consistent message from farmers to the government in this process is that they don’t understand the complex federal system, and how it works alongside various state environment laws,” Mr Jochinke said.
“What we need to see — including from these new bodies — is a much more positive and proactive engagement with farmers, aimed at helping them comply rather than catching them out.
“As custodians of over half Australia’s landmass, if this new system doesn’t recognise the good work farmers are doing in terms of managing the landscape, while also producing food and fibre for the community, then it just doesn’t work.”
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