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Health and Environment Committee Public Hearing

- Environmental and Other Legislation (Reversal of Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) Amendment Bill 2021 - Public Hearing - Environmental and Other Legislation (Reversal of Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) Amendment Bill 2021 (3/9/2021)

Dale Holliss and Matthew Leighton appear at 2:49:00

https://tv.parliament.qld.gov.au/Committees?reference=C6083#parentVerticalTab6

Dr Peter Ridd Facebook Post 

- 4 September 2021

"The Queensland parliamentary process for the Reef Regulations Reversal Bill (R3 Bill), championed by Nick Dametto (pictured right), held public hearings yesterday, Friday 3 Sep 2021. This Bill would reverse the antifarmer Reef regulations that were enacted in late 2019. Evidence at the hearing was given by AIMS, various government and quasi-government groups, environmental groups, farmer groups, individual farmers, and me.


It was good to see the politicians, particularly Nick Dametto, Stephen Andrew and the LNP members, asking some hard questions about the supposed effect of agriculture on the Reef.


From the start, it was disappointing that AIMS and the government institutions are still not accepting that anything more needs to be done to improve the quality assurance systems of the science underpinning the Reef Regulations. They still cling to the fiction that the 2017 Reef Consensus Statement is a rigorous scientific document. I was at the workshops that led to the Consensus Statement and there was no checking replication or testing of the relevant scientific papers.

The obvious scientific problems with the consensus statement is bad enough, but far worse is that they now dig in, deny there are problems when they are pointed out, and refuse to publicly debate their positions in front of critics such as Piers Larcombe or me. 

It was wonderful to see how AIMS explained the record high coral cover on the Reef this year despite it having 3 supposedly devastating, unprecedented, mass coral bleaching events in just five years. They explained that it was just the fast-growing corals that had regrown and the Reef was still in dire trouble. Well of course it is the fast-growing corals that have recently regrown. It is also the fast-growing corals,
the fragile plate and staghorn corals, that are killed totally naturally by bleaching, starfish and cyclones - the latter being by far the biggest killer of corals. So naturally, the fast corals will be the ones that grow back.

And it must be remembered that coral can’t just grow back in one year. We supposedly had a major bleaching event in 2020 – but we have record coral cover this year. Something is inconsistent. (See my last post for more details)


The geological record, and the scientific data over the last 50 years, shows the reef goes through massivenatural cycles of death and regrowth.


It is not good enough for science institutions to ignore that information, and claim the end of the world is near when it crashes. It is even worse when they do the same thing when the reef rebounds.


I thought one of the high points of the hearings was Dale Hollis from Bundaberg Canegrowers repeating a few times the fact that the Burnett River mouth is 70 km south of the southern-most extremity of the Reef and cannot possibly affect the Reef. The Burnett is not a Reef catchment and neither is the Mary River. And the East Australia current runs south away from the Reef. This demonstrates more than any other fact that the Reef Regulations are not based on quality-assured science."


Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information 

Your health is our priority as we deal with the coronavirus and together we will get through this. It is crucial that people continue to listen to the advice from our medical professionals when it comes to social distancing and hygiene.

Below are phone numbers and websites which might be useful if you’re looking for information:

And please remember, stay 1.5 metres away from others, wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, avoid touching your face, ensure you cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue, and if you are sick, please stay at home.


Insurance

CANEGROWERS Insurance Scheme  - owned by growers, working for growers, was commenced in 2012 to look after our members’ insurance needs. Wide Bay Authorised Representative Ray Goodwin has extensive experience in looking after the insurance needs of the rural sector and has assisted many of our members to ensure that their insurance cover is tailored to their requirements. Ray provides a personalised on-farm service to growers, primarily servicing CGU’s Canepol insurance policies. He also has access to a broad range of other insurance products and alternative underwriters so that appropriate insurance cover can be obtained for all aspects of members’ businesses at the best price.

To contact Ray to discuss your insurance needs call 4151 2555 or on mobile on 0418 891 783.

Bundaberg CANEGROWERS Ltd

Our Mission is to provide representation, leadership and services and promote unity in the interest of growers.

Our Goals are to provide an effective and efficient service through a focus on growers' key concerns within a changing environment. To maximise grower and industry proceeds by marketing current and future sugar production through a structure that is transparent and accountable to the industry. To ensure that industry growth is managed and market driven within a sustainable sugar industry. To ensure environmentally and financially sustainable production through managing and coordinating inputs and resources.

Our Vision is to ensure a secure and profitable future for Bundaberg cane growers.