AgForce Queensland is urging the Federal Government to work directly with farmers as EPBC reforms move from legislation into on-ground implementation, warning that current self-assessment and referral expectations risk undermining both agricultural productivity and environmental outcomes.
AgForce Queensland President Shane McCarthy said farmers manage around 50 per cent of Australia's landmass, delivering environmental outcomes through continuous land management rather than one-off development projects.
"Agriculture has not yet been given a meaningful role in shaping how the new EPBC standards and processes will operate in practice, despite being central to their success," Mr McCarthy said.
AgForce is particularly concerned that routine infrastructure works, remedial actions and ongoing land-management activities are now being captured by EPBC self-assessment requirements, with some activities escalating to full referral processes involving significant cost and long delays.
"Self-assessment requirements take producers approximately 30 to 70 hours per activity, and a referral processes that can take up to 18 months with costs easily exceeding $50000, materially changing on-farm behaviour," AgForce Chief Executive Officer Niki Ford said.
"When producers face uncertainty and delay, essential land management is deferred, weakening environmental outcomes rather than strengthening them," Ms Ford said.
"When hundreds of hours are diverted into self-assessments and referrals for routine or remedial activities, that is time not spent maintaining habitat, reducing bushfire fuel loads, protecting waterways, controlling invasive species, or preparing landscapes for droughts and floods," Ms Ford said. "Adding red tape to these activities creates a real deterrent to proactive environmental management at a time when climate volatility demands faster, not slower, responses."
Mr McCarthy said agriculture already operates within comprehensive state-based vegetation, planning and land-use frameworks, which are regionally tailored, well understood by producers and designed to balance environmental protection with operational reality, yet these systems are not being adequately recognised under current EPBC implementation settings.
"There is a clear opportunity to achieve better environmental outcomes by working with farmers, recognising existing state-based processes, and exempting routine and remedial agricultural activities from unnecessary additional administrative burden."
"Farmers want to be partners in delivering environmental outcomes, not regulated out of the ability to do so."
