The Theft of Public Land for the Profit of a Few

  by David Barton. November 2024

Read full report Here.

The Victorian Government’s Public Land Give-Away’ outlining measures that may ultimately lead to the end of public land in Victoria.

The report’s author, Dr David Barton, as well as being a researcher and lobbyist, has decades of experience in forest management and bushfire recovery, his PhD being on the recovery of Marysville after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

Dr Barton asserts that public Crown land, freely open to all citizens, has been a feature of the Australian landscape since the earliest days of British settlement, especially in Victoria.

“All that is about to change” says Dr Barton, “Over the last five years the Victorian government has been handing over National Parks to Aboriginal organisations in what is known as ‘Aboriginal Title’. These organisations are essentially private corporations run for the benefit of their Aboriginal members, not the public.”

Dr Barton explained “The land becomes freehold title, with the new owners having considerable but as yet undefined scope to change its usage. At the very least access to the forests may become subject to the new owners’ permission,”

“The Victorian Environment Assessment Council, along with the newly created ‘Eminent Panel for Community Engagement and Great Outdoors Taskforce’ have an $11 million budget to carry out investigations over the entire Eastern half of Victoria to see where new parks and reserves can be created, and placed under Aboriginal management and/or ownership” concludes Dr Barton

State of the Great Barrier Reef Report 2024

Media Release 9 March 2024

The Australian Environment foundation (AEF), which is a farmer friendly conservation group, has issued a new report entitled “State of the Great Barrier Reef 2024.”

 Peter Ridd, the Chairman of the AEF, said the report shows that the reef is in excellent condition with record amounts of coral. “Despite all the catastrophism about hot water bleaching events in the last decade, the species most susceptible to bleaching, (the plate and staghorn corals), have exploded in number. Sadly, the impact of bleaching is routinely exaggerated by the media and some science organisations.”

 “The impact of farm pollution in the Reef is negligible and all 3000 individual reefs have excellent coral. No other Australian ecosystem has shown such little change in modern times” Ridd said.

 Peter Ridd added, “Australia spends roughly $500 million each year to “save the reef” but this money could be much better spent on genuine environmental problems such as control of invasive weeds and feral animals, or restoring indigenous fire practices into forests and rangeland”.

  He concluded, “The public is being deceived about the reef. How this occurred is a serious issue for the reef-science community which has embraced emotion, ideology, and raw self-interest to maintain funding”.

 “This new report distils a great deal of data about the reef” said Ridd “it is time that the reef

science institutions confront this data rather than ignoring it and hoping nobody will notice. I challenge them to a public science duel – any time any place.”

 The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world, and scientists have been warning of its imminent demise since the 1960s. 

Senate Inquiry into Faunal Extinction

In August 2018 the AEF made a submission to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee Inquiry into Australia's Faunal extinction crisis, including the wider ecological impact of faunal extinction, the adequacy of Commonwealth environment laws, the adequacy of existing monitoring practices, assessment process and compliance mechanisms for enforcing Commonwealth environmental law, and a range of other matters. Read the AEF’s submission here.

Proposed Changes to NSW Land Clearing Controls

On 21 June 2017 the AEF made a submission [link here] to the NSW Government on the draft subordinate legislation, which that Government proposed to enact, and has since done so so, as part of comprehensive reforms to its land clearing and biodiversity conservation measures.  The reforms included an extensive set of regulatory controls and complementary measures to promote conservation on private land.   

Overall the AEF considers that the package is proceeding in the right direction but progress is modest, at best. Moreover, there is still considerable uncertainty about a number of critical design details of the land clearing regime and how they will work in practice.

The AEF's greatest concerns are the constitutional shortcuts, which the NSW Government has adopted. One is the reversal of the 'onus of proof' when adjudicating offences under the principal legislation—(the new Biodiversity Conservation Act and the amended Local Services Act. The other is the decision to put most of the critical legislative detail in subordinate legislation, which significantly reduces Parliamentary scrutiny. Both shortcuts are likely to stoke conflict with landholders over land clearing rather than calm it.

Senate Inquiry into Murray-Darling Basin Plan

In January 2016 AEF made a submission to the Senate Select Committee inquiring into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Inquiry into Environmental Organisations Register

In May 2015 AEF made a submission to the inquiry into the Commonwealth Register of Environmental Organisations by the Standing Committee on the Environment of the House of Representatives.

Senate Inquiry on Australia's Environment

The AEF made a submission to the inquiry by the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications on Australia's environment.

Proposed changes to Tasmanian World Heritage Area

On 12 March 2014 the AEF released a report demonstrating that the 'minor boundary' nomination by the Gillard Government for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is ‘deeply flawed’ and should be amended as proposed by the Abbott Government.

Submission to Senate Inquiry into Noise from Wind Farms

The AEF made a submission to the inquiry by the Senate Environment & Communications Legislation Committee into a private members bill tabled by Senators Madigan and Xenophon.  Their bill would amend the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act to limit excessive noise from wind farms and require noise data to be posted on the internet to assist with noise monitoring and compliance.  

NSW Inquiry into Public Land Management

In July 2012 the AEF made a Submission to the Inquiry by the General Purpose Standing Committee No.5 of the NSW Legislative Council  

Australia's Unappreciated & Maligned Fisheries

Australian marine waters encompass a vast variety and quantity of marine life encircling the globe’s largest island, enabling Australia to lay claim to the world’s third largest Exclusive Economic Zone.  Almost without exception, away from coastal and tourist influences, these waters are pristine, rarely visited and are home to the same number of fish species today as at European settlement.

This is not well-understood by most Australians, however, due to campaigns by Australian and international green groups to ‘save’ our marine waters, reefs and fish species by extending Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) .  Their proposals would that Australia, by itself, was responsibility for about half of all MPAs world-wide but this extension would produce no net benefit from an environmental or economic viewpoint to the Australian people.

Proposals for extraordinary increases to MPAs motivated the AEF to commission marine biologist Dr Walter Starck to prepare this report on Australia’s fisheries and their management, and the effects of the proposed MPAs.  Dr Starck's report of May 2012 may be accessed here.

NSW Draft Planning Guidelines for Wind Farms

The AEF made a submission to the NSW government on the draft Guidelines in March 2012.

Plugging the Mouth of the Murray River

AEF commissioned Dr Jennifer Marohasy to prepare a report on the geomorphological history of the Murray River's terminal Lower Lakes and Estuary.  The history and management of the Lakes are a key issue in the development of policy and plans for water management in the Murray Darling Basin.  Dr Marohasy's report was released in February 2012 and can be viewed here. 

Senate Inquiry into Wind Turbines

In October 2011 AEF made a submission to the Senate Select Committee inquiring into wind turbines.

Senate Inquiry on Rural Wind Farms

The AEF made a submission to the inquiry in February 2011.

House of Reps Inquiry into Murray Darling Basin

The AEF made a submission to the inquiry in December 2010.

Senate Inquiry on Native Vegetation Laws, Greenhouse Gas Abatement and Climate Change Measures

The AEF made a submission to the inquiry in March 2010.

Organic food loses the high-ground

An article by AEF member David Leyonhjelm was published in the Business Spectator of 3 June 2010

Less than Half Support an Emissions Trading Scheme

See the AEF media release and listen to the interview with Max Rheese, the AEF Executive Director, on Radio 2GB

Echua Rally Opposes VEAC Proposal for Red River Gums

A Public Land Rights Rally was held in Echuca on October 5th 2008 to protest against the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council proposals for the red gum forests of the Murray River.

2000 marchers, a number of them AEF members, blocked the traffic in High Street Echuca and brought the town to a standstill.  Local people and visitors alike clapped and cheered as the march led by dozens of Barmah cattlemen on their horses proceeded to the local park to hear speakers denounce the proposals that if implemented will see selective timber harvesting, controlled grazing and campfires in the holiday period all banned from new parks.

Nearby state forests at Nyah are already declining in health, even though grazing has been excluded for only six years. The parasitic native cherry, Exocarpus strictus, is sweeping through the forest and forming dense stands, affecting the vigour of the red gums.

Alternative Plan for River Red Gum Forests

The Rivers & Red Gum Environment Alliance launched its alternative plan to the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council [VEAC] proposals for the River Red Gum Forests of the Murray River.  The launch took place at the Victorian Parliament on Thursday 31 July 2008. The AEF is one of the 25 organisations that make up the Alliance and contributed to the compilation of the report.

The major recommendation of the Alliance Conservation & Community Plan is the creation of 104,700 hectares of Ramsar Reserves to allow for multiple use management of the forests and a higher level of biodiversity conservation. 

Inquiry into Australia's transition to a green energy superpower

The inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth seeks advice on how Australia can “transition to a green energy superpower”, including the following issues:

• where trade and investment activities are already having a positive impact; and

• emerging and possible future trends.

It also seeks advice on how governments can assist in identifying opportunities and assisting new investment in them, particularly renewable energy, battery storage, energy supply and infrastructure, electric vehicle industry, infrastructure; advanced manufacturing, and services and technology. Read the AEF submission here.