GREEN lobby group, Total Environment Centre, has described farmers' claim for compensation for loss of property rights incurred under land clearing bans, as a furphy and says it should be ignored by governments.
The powerful NSW-based lobby group has vowed to fight "all the way" against any push by farmers for land clearing bans to be eased.
It claims farmers have already received millions of dollars and have continued clearing rights over a lot of native vegetation.
"There’s been extensive clearing and we have to keep the best of what’s left but some farmers have never accepted that the wider community has a right to impose laws to prevent excessive land clearing of native vegetation," TEC director Jeff Angel said in a statement to the media this afternoon.
"Their claim for compensation is a furphy as they deliberately avoid the truth that compensation has already been paid both financially and in the structure of the laws.
"In the case of the NSW laws the then Howard government provided tens of millions of dollars on the condition that NSW had land clearing laws.
"More was put in by the state.
"Similarly in Queensland there was a large adjustment fund.
"And both laws contain protections for clearing by farmers of native vegetation including regrowth, other than that deemed important for biodiversity."
Mr Angel said Opposition Leader Tony Abbot would have to be clear on his policy position.
"On the one hand he expresses sympathy for the farmers; while on the other he wants to plant lots of trees for carbon sinks," Mr Angel said.
"If you free up land clearing laws then the carbon emissions will overwhelm the potential carbon sequestration of tree planting."
* Regular updates, plus photos and video will be posted on FarmOnline during the course of Tuesday's property rights protest.
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