The NSW governments Private Native Forestry (PNF) bill, put forward by the Nationals, was withdrawn on Monday by agriculture minister, Dugald Saunders, after several coalition MPs said they would cross the floor rather than support the bill.
This included local Tweed Nationals MP Goeff Provest along with Liberals Shayne Mallard and Felicity Wilson.
‘Mr Provest told the Government he was not prepared to support the bill. The Government withdrew the bill,’ a spoklespeson for Mr Provest told The Echo.
‘This is the second time that these same proposed legislative changes have been defeated by a member of the Government, last time it was Catherine Cusack crossing the floor to defeat the Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill,’ said North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
‘The Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Private Native Forestry) Bill 2022 intended to remove protection for core koala habitat, allow logging almost everywhere over private lands, and take away community rights to have a say in where and how logging can occur in their Local Government Area.
‘The PNF bill was not just an attack on koalas in an attempt to allow logging everywhere, it is also an attempt to remove community’s rights to be informed and have a say in what happens in their areas,’ explained Mr Pugh.
‘We would particularly like to thank the Member for Tweed, Geoff Provest for threatening to cross the floor and vote against his own Government’s bill.
‘While these changes have been defeated for the second time, unfortunately, they will be resurrected after the election unless there is a change of Government or Premier Perrottet gives a cast-iron promise to bury it forever.’
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