BLAND Landholder’s Right To Farm Group founder, Annabelle Davis, was given one minute to be able to finally question ALP NSW Premier, Chris Minns, face-to-face in Wagga Wagga last week at a Business NSW event about his party’s lack of action on their behalf.
“At the heart of this issue is the basic principle that farmers have a right to farm land they purchased to do so. None of the farmers I represent purchased land to donate to the NSW Government! Our farmers purchased freehold land to make an income. How any Government thinks is fine to take that right away from honest citizens is extraordinary”.
This issue is the result of errors in the NSW Native Vegetation Map which stems from a listing by the NSW Scientific Committee that is riddled with flawed data.
“The errors in the original scientific report are seriously concerning – fictitious is the word that springs to mind! You are left to wonder how many other vegetation listings in NSW are also widely inaccurate”.
While Minister Sharpe has given farmers her commitment to review mapping errors - farmers have little trust in a department that has a history of prosecutions based on mapping errors that they refuse to correct.
“This is a department that show little interest in determining fact from fiction”.
Davis showed Premier Minns examples of errors on the Native Vegetation Map - crop paddocks, house blocks dams and roads – now a pink no go zone. This issue is being keenly felt right across NSW with mapping errors being felt by farmers in the Bland Shire, Temora Shire, Coolamon Shire and as far away as the Liverpool Plains. Davis showed Premier Minns a document with mapping examples including 50 years of satellite imagery - from 1973 to 2025 - that clearly shows that the vegetation extent has remained unchanged for over 50 years.
"We’ve built our case with hard evidence - we’ve provided the data, satellite images, and photos and landowner testimony, but still, farmers are being stopped from working their land and remain locked out of their livelihoods”.
While farmers are aware this issue was created by the former Coalition Government the NSW Premier has the ability to fix it. At the root of the problem is Premier Minn’s commitment at the last election to strengthen environmental protections. As a result, the DCCEEW has a culture of prosecution regardless of the facts.
“In private enterprise, when we make a mistake we fix it. In comparison, the NSW Government is prepared to spend thousands of tax payer dollars justifying a mistake that could be so easily fixed. Some farmers have been left without income approaching four years and are still waiting. I hate to think how many Government meetings I’ve attended, how many letters I’ve written, how many phone calls I have made – all saying the same thing – and how many times it’s fallen on deaf ears!
“Premier Minns – it’s time to show the bush that you really care!”
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