agriculture

More than 200 farmers from across New South Wales converged upon the steps on Parliament House yesterday, chanting "You Can't Eat Coal" in support of the proposed amendments to the Mining Act to protect farming land from mining expansion. Despite this, the bill was voted down in the House by a single vote - as the Shooters Party, the Rev. Fred Nile and the ALP joined forces to defeat the proposal.

The NSW Farmers’ Association has added its support to the the Mining Amendment (Safeguarding Agricultural Land and Water) Bill which is due to be debated in NSW Parliament on Thursday. It remains to be seen how the National Party responds in the Parliamentary debate on the bill - which is designed to protect prime agricultural lands and waters feeding those lands from the encroachment of mining.

With the introduction of amendments to the NSW Mining Act to the Parliament last week to protect prime agricultural land from coal mining, the pressure is now on the Queensland Government to introduce similar protections.

New South Wales Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has introduced a new bill to the NSW parliament to protect prime agricultural land and water from damage cause by coal mining and exploration. The introduction of the Mining (Safeguarding Agricultural Land and Water From Mining) Amendment Bill paves the way for similar legislation in Queensland.

Campaigners from Six Degrees brought together around 30 Queensland citizens concerned about a sustainable future for Queensland to bring the farm to the city this morning. Together we built a veggie garden on the lawns of Parliament House to urge the major political parties to protect good quality agricultural land from mining.