Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 5:14:37 to 5:18:48
Senator McDonald questions the department's input into the 15-year threshold for vegetation regrowth clearing introduced in the EPBC Act reforms and its impact on land management.
Topics: EPBC Act, Land management, Agricultural productivity
Speakers: Speaker 21, Speaker 12
McDonald. >> Thank you very much, chair. And um I have some questions on the EPBC uh changes and um Mr. Low because you are so dutiful watching other estimates last night. I'm sure you're going to be all over this. So well done. Um I wanted to start with some uh data that was quoted by DQ. They've cited one of their main studies for the uh for picking the 15-year threshold for vegetation um as Thomas etal 2025. This study shows that species use of regrowth can be anywhere from 3 to 68 years. And I'm wondering what input your department has had into the legislation that this arbitrary number of 15 years
was chosen. >> Uh Senator, as you as you rightly pointed out, uh the the the work that was done around those particular reforms was led by DQ. Um and um and and while as as we've said previously, we're kind of involved in discussions with them over the course of that that um that period um that that research and and them setting setting the settings around those reforms were a matter for them. So
can I read that means that you didn't have input into the that last minute change for 15 years of regrowth clearing to be added into the legislation.
>> Uh I think it'd be fair to characterize that we did have conversations over the over the period kind of that um the the EPBC reforms were being developed up. Um but the setting of that time time
period was a matter for DQ. So, was agriculture specifically consulted on setting a 15-year threshold for regrowth? Were you consulted on that?
>> Uh, I'd have to take that on notice, Senator. Um, I believe that it did come up over the course of the development of
those reforms. So industry groups were completely blindsided and by the time it became apparent that was going to be included in the legislation because as you'd be aware when we did the legislative the legislation review it wasn't in there. Uh so it only was published as part of the draft legislation in the last couple of days. Last Yeah, couple of days. So if you would take on notice if the agricultural department was consulted and when >> um that that would be excellent. >> Yeah, very happy to senator. So I had a series of questions around um lead ecologist professor David Lindmire who said in regard to biodiversity conservation not to do the same management practices everywhere that you just can't apply one number one age to all vegetation across the country. Um and uh the other bit of data that I wanted to read into the record was that the median age so the same study of Thomas Etal said that the median age at which regrowth vegetation provided 75% of the rel relative value of remnant habitat was at 36 years. So again why was that number not chosen? Um I I'm yeah I'm really hoping that the agricultural department has had some visibility of this because otherwise who has got oversight of productivity measures, food security measures. We've talked about the growth of agricultural exports, how will we be confident that we will continue to achieve those if the agricultural department hasn't had