Queensland farmers will pay for Labor’s rushed EPBC Act reforms

Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said AgForce’s report estimates the regulatory cost per business for referral and annual compliance could be as much $139,000 per referral. Photo source: Facebook/Senator Matthew Canavan

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Queensland farmers are facing billions in new costs, with the next phase of Labor’s land clearing laws due to come into effect on July 1.

A new report by peak body AgForce, ‘Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Reform Impacts on Queensland Agriculture’, shines a light into the enormous burden farmers will face under the changes.

Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said AgForce’s report estimates the regulatory cost per business for referral and annual compliance could be as much $139,000 per referral. This is an ongoing cumulative cost of $3.5 billion on Queensland agriculture alone, per year.

The report also estimates a $5.87 billion in permanent reduction of Queensland farmland value, due to the changes in the continuous use exemption, with 1.1 million hectares of Category X land captured and more than 4.3 million hectares of total land captured.

Senator Canavan said Labor’s confusing and rushed EPBC Act reforms has resulted in poorly designed regulation not always delivering better environmental outcomes.

“The EPBC framework was originally designed to assess one-off development proposals, not the cyclical and ongoing land management activities that occur as part of normal agricultural production,” Senator Canavan said.

“Farmers are extremely concerned they are unintentionally breaking the law, with limited to no information to assist in making decisions. It has resulted in genuine fears farmers could get taken to court and be put out of business.

“If this is just Queensland, imagine the impact on the rest of the nation. This also comes after Senate Estimates revealed the impacts, costs, nor environmental outcomes of the EPBC reforms haven’t been modelled, after a last minute deal with the Greens.”

AgForce general president Shane McCarthy said AgForce is concerned a regulatory impact statement into how the changes could affect farmers, regional communities, food security and food sovereignty was not conducted.

“Producers should be encouraged to actively manage weeds, invasive regrowth, fire risk and land condition,” Mr McCarthy said.

“If regulation creates uncertainty around those activities, there is a real risk of achieving outcomes that are worse for both the environment and agricultural productivity.”

Shadow Agriculture Minister Darren Chester said in the 2026-27 Budget, the government committed to reducing regulatory burden by $10.2 billion each year, which includes the implementation of the EPBC Act reforms.

“Labor must explain, how does this figure account for the increased regulatory burden on agriculture, and will the regulatory burden on agriculture be costed each year?” Mr Chester said.

“The fact that many farmers still cannot determine with confidence whether routine agricultural activities trigger federal requirements demonstrates the framework is not yet fit for purpose.

“At a time when our farmers are facing increased input costs, it is madness for the Albanese Government to make it harder for Queensland's farming families.”

Shadow Minister for the Environment Andrew Bragg said effective policy should build on that stewardship rather than creating barriers to active land management.

“Landholders could be forced to obtain permission for something as simple as managing weeds and invasive regrowth on private property,” Senator Bragg said.

“Australian consumers expect farmers to be growing food, not navigating legal uncertainty. Every dollar spent on unnecessary approvals, referrals and compliance is a dollar that cannot be invested in food production, environmental stewardship or regional communities.

“This is why the Coalition will improve the operation of the EPBC Act, including cutting green tape to provide certainty for stakeholders. We will focus on protecting the environment, while safeguarding the livelihoods and prosperity of Australians.”

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Supplied by Office of the Hon Senator Matthew Canavan

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