9 December 2025. Shane McCarthy, AgForce General President.
This column comes to you in trying times for the agriculture industry and for AgForce as your representative body. Never has advocacy been more crucial than now.
As many of you are now aware, federal Labor last week struck a deal with the Australian Greens to pass changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) through Parliament, effective immediately.
We are still trying to get details of what the changes actually mean for us on the ground and make sense of this dog's breakfast.
Queensland producers in particular are still in limbo over the what they can and cannot do with their land, as a result of the amendments to continuing-use provisions for agriculture. This was ostensibly done to address what is referred to as "high-risk land clearing".
Last Friday morning AgForce attended a briefing with the Environment Minister Murray Watt, senior department officials and national industry bodies.
We were seeking urgent updated guidance on clearing as a result of these continuous use changes. The government position is that while this isn't a blanket ban - new thresholds now apply.
Mr Watt reaffirmed that agriculture is not being "banned from clearing" under these reforms. However, he conceded that the continuous use exemption has fundamentally changed.
This means that many producers who previously operated under Category X or thinning cycles will now require individual assessment if the vegetation is more than 15 years old; if it may affect a Matter of National Environmental Significance (MNES); or if it is near Great Barrier Reef (GBR) drainage features.
We at AgForce recognise there are a lot of unanswered questions for the agricultural sector. That's reflected in the unprecedented number of phone calls from operators that we have received in the past fortnight in relation to this legislation.
If you're considering clearing, AgForce urges you to speak directly with DCCEEW assessment officers rather than relying solely on mapping tools or written guidelines. Operators should call the Hotline on 1800 920 528 as the most direct pathway for tailored advice about their situation.
While the government has committed to helping farmers navigate this mess with updated factsheets, webinars, case studies and clarification of acceptable management actions, no time frame has been given for this, nor any guarantee of consultation. Which is unacceptable.
Different vegetation types, species habitats, property histories and nature of activity will also affect whether the EPBC Act applies.
AgForce acknowledges that current factsheets remain high level and are not situation-specific. So I'm encouraging members to seek clarification in every instance, rather than accept redirection to the website.
Be reassured that AgForce has heard your concerns loud and clear and that we've raised them directly with the federal government - issues such as inconsistent mapping, uncertainty around vegetation age, unclear drainage line definitions, and outdated or low-resolution data.
All of these were acknowledged by government as barriers to fair implementation.
We are committed to ensuring that the revised bilateral agreement for Queensland under the EPBC reform is reflective of Queensland conditions and legislation.
We went on the front foot with two press conferences this week raising our concerns about the EPBC reform and future requirements. I appeared alongside Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perret, Cane Board Director Ricky Mio, and Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last to put our case.
We will continue to seek clarity on transitional arrangements for producers and give further updates as soon as we have the information.
