“Farmers have had enough. Enough of the restrictions on what they can do on their own land “says Senator Barnaby Joyce.Senator Joyce today said he was pleased with the National Party’s lead role in ensuring a successful outcome for getting a Senate inquiry to deal with the injustice to farming families as a result of vegetation laws.
Australia has had to deal with State Governments walking on to the place and stealing regional Australians’ vegetation assets but leaving the landholder with the ongoing financial responsibilities of the rates bills and the public insurance liabilities, whilst forgoing the revenue that the parcel of land would have provided to the family business.
This is unfair, unjust and regional Australian families deserve to be treated better.
When the Government steals an asset, it undermines the core underlying principle of why people go work.
Not only does the Government thieve the asset of those who own it now, it also thieves the asset from the people who’ve gone before; those who endured the privations while developing the block of land; those who fought with drought and uncertainty; those who dealt with the screaming bank manager; the families who have endured social displacement; those who had built up an asset that they believed they were leaving to their family.
Would these families have worked as hard if they knew they were leaving their generational asset eventually to government?
I call on all affected stakeholders to participate in the inquiry as it travels around the country and be part of the process in delivering a suitable outcome.
The Inquiry will be advertised next week and we call for as many submissions as possible to plan the hearings.