NEW PLAIN ENGLISH GUIDE TO HELP WITH NATIVE VEGETATION CLEARING APPLICATIONS

A new, plain-English guide will help landholders apply for a permit to clear vegetation, Natural Resources and Water Craig Wallace said today.

The Landholder’s Guide to Vegetation Clearing Applications is one of a series of guides for landholders being rolled out by the Department of Natural Resources and Water.

A separate guide for fodder harvesting applications was released last month.

Mr Wallace said while broadscale clearing ended on December 31, 2006, landholders could still apply to clear vegetation for a range of purposes such as building infrastructure, controlling weeds, clearing regrowth or harvesting fodder.

“This landholders’ guide explains whether landholders need a permit to clear vegetation, how to apply and how NRW assesses the applications,” Mr Wallace said.

“This guide helps landholders to know what they can do on their property, not what they cannot. And it does that in an easy-to-understand way.”

Mr Wallace said he expected the new plain-English guide to be very well received by landholders, as it gave a common sense explanation of the system.

“We want to make it easier for landholders to prepare and lodge their applications and thus make it easier for them to comply with the Vegetation Management Act,” Mr Wallace said.

The Act aims to preserve what remains of Queensland’s original vegetation and prevent land degradation.

The Landholder’s Guide to Vegetation Clearing Applications is available from www.nrw.qld.gov.au/vegetation or by contacting your nearest NRW service centre.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.