In just four months time a new form of European colonialism may be inflicted on our shores. Only this time the flotillas will be reams of red tape from Brussels ready to regulate what Australians do on Australian land.
Last year European bureaucrats finalised what they call the European Union Deforestation Regulation. Under this new regulation, any cattle grazier that does not comply with European land use regulations will not be able to export beef to Europe.
According to the Europeans, this law intends to reduce carbon emissions “by at least 32 million metric tonnes a year” and “address all deforestation driven by agricultural expansion.”
I am not sure how the European Parliament came to the view that they had the right to regulate how Australian land is used. Their politicians are not elected by Australians or accountable to Australians. Their approach is a perversion of democracy and a return to imperialistic decision making where a far away sovereign can decide what happens to their subjects on the other side of the world.
And like most times when democracy is side-lined, the autocratic outcomes will be worse because Brussels (where the European Parliament is based) has almost no understanding of Australian farm practices. For example, under the current interpretation of the regulations, farmers will not be able to clear basic weeds like lantana. Not only would that cripple our cattle industry it would be terrible for the local environment.
The European regulations restrict the conversion of forest land to agricultural land in the future. This regulation most impacts Indigenous Australians who have native title rights in parts of the country that have remained largely undeveloped, including in Cape York. Europeans already colonised the land of Aboriginals once before and now they are trying to do it again.
The Europeans have released maps of Australia designating how much of our country is covered by the forest they want protected. They have identified 143.3 million hectares of forest land, which is curiously eight per cent more than Australia’s official definition of forest. And, our definition includes all areas with more than a two-metre height canopy, whereas the European definition covers only areas with more than a five-metre canopy. So the European numbers seem way out of whack.
Of even more concern, Europe’s maps seem to include 44 per cent of our grazing land even though that land should be exempt from the European regulations because it is “agricultural land”. This error means that even the clearing of “regrowth” may not be allowed. If applied broadly most of Central Queensland’s grazing areas would be put out of action within decades.
I do not expect European bureaucrats to understand the harshness of the Australian bush or the unique economic challenges facing Indigenous Australians. But this is why the regulation of Australia’s environment should be left to democratically elected Australian governments.
The Australian Government has raised these concerns with European regulators. The US Government raised similar concerns recently too. But nothing seems to be getting resolved just months from the regulations coming into force.
The impact of the regulations will not hurt the overall strength of our beef industry, less than one per cent of our beef exports would be affected. But some graziers are more exposed to European markets and they would be hurt. Further, a review of the regulations is due to consider whether they should cover “other wooded land” which could have an even bigger impact on Australian cattle producers.
Most of all we should not allow the precedent to be set that another country can dictate the minute regulation of Australian farming or business practices. Global government is wrong in practice and is morally wrong too.
We should fight harder to maintain the principle that government decisions should be made closest to the people and that Australians should decide how Australian farms are regulated.
