After a marathon three day debate and late night sitting, the Queensland Parliament last night passed new land-clearing legislation. A similar bill failed to pass Parliament when it was introduced in 2016, making the passage even more momentous.
This is undoubtedly a big win for the climate and is a big step forward in Queensland tackling its greenhouse gas pollution.
Queensland is currently Australia’s hotspot for land clearing, accounting for 50-65% of native forest loss in Australia over the past four decades, and generating millions of tonnes of greenhouse pollution. This legislation will go some way in addressing this.
But this legislation isn’t just a win for the climate. It’s a testament to the people power that brought about this change – with a whole swathe of organisations and individuals, including Climate Council supporters, putting in a huge effort, campaigning on this issue for a number of years.
