NNAA NORTHERN NSW AGRICULTURAL ALLIANCE 1 February 2019 Committee Secretariat The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources PO BOX 6021 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 via email:
[email protected] Subject: Submission on Behalf of The Northern NSW Agricultural Alliance – Impact of Vegetation and Land Management Policies, Regulations and Restrictions Introduction Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to this important inquiry. The Northern NSW Agricultural Alliance (NNAA) is a local movement founded in Northern NSW that has come together to stand up for a fair go for Australian farmers. The NNAA was established in November 2018 to advocate for reforms to legislation which restricts the ability of farmers to manage their land and unfairly prosecutes farmers without prior independent mediation. The NNAA was essentially founded as a result of multiple dealings that family famers in Northern NSW were having with the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH). The Alliance has quickly grown to a movement representing the voices of more than 90 farming families and hundreds of other supporters across NSW who have been affected by laws regulating native vegetation management in NSW. Many of our families are multi-generational and based primarily in the areas of Moree, Walgett, Narrabri, Wee Waa, Mungindi, Burren Junction, Collarenebri, Coonamble, and Inverell. We advocate for a balanced, fair and practical approach to the management of Native Vegetation and we maintain that an emphasis should be placed at all times on the ‘triple bottom line’ approach which provides for social, economic and environmental outcomes. Executive Summary 1. The economic and social impact of regulated native vegetation management practices and restrictions have had overall negative impacts on regional communities and farmers.