• The Palaszczuk Government feigns sudden concern for landholders affected by defence acquisition in Central Queensland
• Proposed “independent” study is an act of gross an unmitigated hypocrisy
• Labor has an appalling track record of ignoring farmers and their communities with their previous land grabs and restrictive vegetation policies

The LNP Opposition has labelled the Palaszczuk Government’s sudden concern for the productivity of the agriculture sector as fraudulent in the wake of proposed land acquisitions in North and Central Queensland by the Australian Defence Force.

Shadow Northern Development Minister Andrew Cripps said a proposed “independent study” by Labor was simply playing wedge politics in a desperate attempt by Minister Byrne to be relevant to his portfolio.

“The reality is that Bill Byrne and Labor have taken agricultural land out of production by force across Queensland for nearly 20 years,” Mr Cripps said.

“This proposed study is an act of gross an unmitigated hypocrisy.

“Current and former Labor Governments have seized massive areas of productive agricultural land for National Parks while introducing punitive vegetation management laws and threatening to ban the development of high value agriculture in Queensland.

“At no stage did the current Palaszczuk Government, or any former Labor Government stop to consider the potential impacts on local economies, local communities, local jobs, or agricultural production of their devastating policies.

Shadow Agriculture Minister Dale Last said Labor had an appalling track record of ignoring farmers and their communities with their previous land grabs and restrictive vegetation policies.

“Labor’s only consideration was protecting its own political backside in inner-city green seats and to hell with the impact on agricultural productivity. Bill Byrne should be ashamed of that.

“If Bill Byrne is ‘fair dinkum’, he would also be morally obliged to conduct completely independent studies into all of Labor’s anti-farmer policies implemented over the last two decades.

“I’m not holding my breath – Bill Byrne and the government he is a member of, have consistently acted against the interests of Queensland farmers and this announcement is just political opportunism.”