Flooded farmers face ‘fre bomb’

NSW Farmers says time is running out to prevent mass bushfres at the end of the year.

Former Fire and Rescue commissioner Greg Mullins told The Daily Telegraph “the summer after a triple La Nina you get major bushfres in NSW” and major bushfres would ravage the state by the end of the year.

But the lessons of Black Summer had not been learned, according to NSW Farmers Head of Policy and Advocacy Annabel Johnson, who called for a swift crackdown on public land managers letting weeds grow out of control.

“During Black Summer we saw horrifc fres as a result of the disastrous ‘lock it up’ approach to land management,” Ms Johnson said.

“We’ve seen huge parts of the state converted into National Parks and just locked up in the name of conservation, and this is where the next fre risk will come from!

“The decision makers need to come to their senses and listen to the people who experience these natural disasters frsthand, and make sure there is an embedded strategy that will effect change in the short and long term.”

Australia had a long history of wet years followed by fres, Ms Johnson said, which would race from town to town consuming everything in their path.

“You hear the stories of fres outrunning vehicles, and you just hope it never happens to you,” Ms Johnson said.

“I’ve heard of whole farms being incinerated and the people only barely making it out alive, and that was before we had these huge National Park tinderboxes everywhere.

“For the most part farmers and private landholders are actively managing their properties, but there simply are not enough resources to do the same on public lands and this will surely lead to catastrophe.”

Albo Must Rule Out Tax Hike On Farmers

NSW Farmers says the Prime Minister must completely rule out any change to farm fuel taxes or risk major protest action.

The Grattan Institute’s proposal to impose road users charges on farm vehicles would drastically increase the cost of producing food and fbre when families can least afford it, James Jackson from NSW Farmers says.

“After nine consecutive interest rate rises all Australians are feeling the pinch, and here come these ‘experts’ with a plan to make food more expensive!” Mr Jackson said.

“Fuel is one of the most expensive input costs in producing food, and making it more expensive for farmers means families will pay more at the checkout.

“If the Prime Minister does not immediately rule out adopting this foolish plan and pushes ahead with this madness, he can expect to see 10,000 tractors in Canberra.”

Mr Jackson hosted a visit from the Prime Minister at his Guyra farm last year, and said the issue of farm fuel taxes was raised.

“People can choose to drive an electric car –they don’t pay this tax by the way – but farmers cannot choose not to use diesel to produce our food,” Mr Jackson said.

“The very idea of imposing a road user charge on off-road vehicles is silly to start with, but in this case it will hurt all Australians and our farm businesses.

“We need a frm commitment from the PM to rule out taxing farm fuel.”