Inquiry Doesn't go Far Enough, Says Cost-of-Living Campaign
A campaign by the Bundaberg Ag-Food & Fibre Alliance (BAFFA) and Australian Environment Foundation (AEF) has welcomed the news that State Treasurer David Janetski has asked the Queensland Productivity Commission to conduct an inquiry into the impacts of Federal environmental legislation on the State.
But it says the Government has not gone far enough, and the inquiry should be looking into the scientific integrity – as well as the impacts – of both Federal and State environmental legislation that is pushing primary producers into non-existence, based on unchecked science.
Mr Janetzki announced the QPC inquiry on Monday, saying it would examine economic impacts, risk to jobs, cost-shifting to states, impacts on major projects, and the consequences of the changes for agricultural production, land value and land management. He said it also would look at the impacts of resource projects being excluded from the National Interest Fast-Track Assessment Pathway.
The news was welcomed by AgForce CEO Niki Ford, who said the inquiry was a timely opportunity to ensure Queensland’s agricultural systems were properly understood and reflected in national environmental policy.
But BAFFA Executive Director Dale Holliss said while he welcomed the announcement of the QPC inquiry, it was missing an opportunity to make a real difference.
“This can open the door to a dual-pronged approach by the Commission – tackling both the impacts of, and the unchecked science behind Federal and State environmental legislation simultaneously,” said Mr Holliss.
BAFFA and the AEF launched a campaign this week called “Hit There, Hurts Here”, to bring to the attention of the general public the impacts of layers of unwarranted regulations on Queensland producers. It has a focus on the cost-of-living crisis affecting people in cities and communities, and the housing crisis. Within a day of launching a petition, it had almost 1000 signatures.
“It would make complete sense,” he said. “Why just examine one arm of the layers of unwarranted regulation that are driving primary producers – farmers, fishers and forestry operations – to the wall? It makes sense that both Federal and State environmental legislation is put under scrutiny at the same time.
“However, right now the issues around unchecked science behind layers of Queensland Government regulation continue to be ignored.”
He pointed to the State Government’s 25-year blueprint for Queensland’s primary industries, which is aiming to boost output to $30 billion by 2030.
“That’s only a couple of years away, but the way things are going right now for primary producers there won’t be many of them left,” said Mr Holliss.
Third-generation Bundaberg farmer Dean Cayley said the layers of unwarranted, costly and time-consuming rules were getting to the point that food security was under threat, with many producers contemplating walking off the land in the next few years.
Bundaberg region provides 25 per cent of the food and drink put on tables across Australia.
Mr Cayley grows peanuts and sugarcane and says the regulatory pressure - on top of escalating insurance premiums, rising local government rates, and the impacts of natural disasters – is the nail in the coffin for many producers.
"People have lost whole tomato and watermelon crops this year - you don't get that back in 12 months," he said. "It's now or never for many people - something's got to change and the quicker the better."
AEF Chair Dr Peter Ridd said of the inquiry announcement: "It's not specifically targeting science but it will be forced to look at it," he said. "We've been asking for action around checking the science behind many Queensland layers of regulations on producers, and this is an opportunity to tackle both Federal and State layers of red and green tape at the same time.
“I urge the Crisafulli Government not to miss this opportunity, before it’s too late.”
Mr Holliss emphasised that the “Hits There, Hurts Here” campaign was for the benefit of all Queenslanders battling the cost-of-living and housing crisis.
“We are importing up to 70 per cent of seafood consumed , 80 per cent of hardwoods used for construction, and our food security is at real risk. It’s time for the Crisafulli Government to act – expand the inquiry to include the State-level environmental regulations, and ask the Queensland Productivity Commission to check the science behind all of it. I think they will find that there are a lot of questionable regulations in place which are having a devastating impact.””
He added: "It is about ensuring the science is periodically checked against real-world outcomes.
"Independent review strengthens both environmental confidence and economic sustainability. We need to know that the burden being placed on our producers is actually delivering the protection it promises."
The BAFFA / AEF petition can be signed at: https://www.parliament.qld.gov...
Hit there, hurts here: Call to action on cost-of-living crisis
A call-to-action is being delivered to Queensland households weighed down by the cost-of-living and housing crisis.
People across the state’s cities and regions, from all walks of life, are being asked to sign up to a “Hit There, Hurts Here” campaign being delivered by primary producers and the Australian Environment Foundation (AEF).
The campaign is calling on the LNP Crisafulli Government to “check the science” behind layers of unwarranted regulation that are hitting the primary industries sector – and flowing through to hurt households struggling under the cost-of-living and housing crisis.
Premier David Crisafulli is being asked to refer the matter to the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC), so it can launch an inquiry into unchecked science underpinning layers of red and green tape directly hurting the State’s vital Primary Industries including farming, fishing and forestry.
The QPC was given a mandate by the new LNP Government in 2024 to provide independent policy advice “to help lift productivity, drive economic growth and enhance living standards for Queenslanders”.
The campaign is being delivered jointly by the Bundaberg Ag-Food & Fibre Alliance (BAFFA), an advocacy organisation for primary producers, and the non-profit Australian Environment Foundation (AEF).
People are being urged to contact the Premier and their local MPs to make their voice heard, and to sign a Parliamentary Petition calling for the inquiry referral to the QPC. The petition can be signed at: https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/petition-details/4488-26
BAFFA Director Dean Cayley said: “It’s getting to the point, due to the layers of unwarranted regulation that are costly and time-consuming, that many farmers will be walking off the land in the next couple of years. It’s a real threat to food security.”
Mr Cayley is a third-generation farmer who grows peanuts and sugarcane on his Bundaberg property.
“The Premier must listen,” Mr Cayley said. “We support his Primary Industries Prosper 2050 blueprint released last year, but he needs to take urgent action to stop the downward spiral within primary industries. It’s an easy fix – he just has to refer the matter to the Queensland Productivity Commission.
AEF Director Dr Alan Moran said: “The Queensland Productivity Commission is independent of policy departments and already evaluates regulatory and economic impacts. It would provide a neutral way to assess whether science, outcomes and regulatory burden are aligned.”
Dr Moran is an economist and policy adviser on energy and environmental issues. He has been a senior official in Australia’s Productivity Commission and Director of the Commonwealth’s Office of Regulation Review.
He said: “When government hits farmers, fisheries and forestry operations with layers of unwarranted and unnecessary red and green tape, the flow-on costs hurt every household in Queensland – families, pensioners and struggling young adults.
“They feel it in their hip pocket, in soaring grocery bills and a lack of fresh local produce including Queensland seafood. People trying to build homes also face a shortage of Australian hardwoods necessary for construction.
“That’s why the public needs to understand the full extent of the implications for every household when our farming, fishing and forestry industries are being relentlessly hit by layers of unwarranted regulation, much of which is based on unchecked science.”
BAFFA Executive Chair Dale Holliss said: “In its 25-year blueprint for Queensland’s Primary Industries, ‘Prosper 2050’, the Crisafulli Government strongly recognises farmers as the backbone of the state’s economy. But that is under serious threat.
“Enabling our producers to more easily and cost-effectively create food for every table and deliver hardwoods for construction without layers of unnecessary, and very costly, regulation that is based on unchecked science will help to halt the decline of so many primary industry sectors and support the Government’s goal of growing the sector’s output to $30 billion by 2030.
“But the State Government needs to act now.”
Mr Holliss said: “The proposed QPC review should examine whether scientific modelling, assumptions and regulatory settings remain supported by observed outcomes, and whether regulatory burden is appropriately balanced with environmental objectives and regional economic sustainability.
He emphasised: “This is not about removing environmental protections - it is about ensuring the science behind regulation is periodically checked against real-world outcomes. Independent review strengthens both environmental confidence and economic sustainability.”
He said the QPC was already empowered to start science audits, and simply required a referral from the State Government.
“It’s an easy fix,” said Mr Holliss. “No need for legislative changes, no action needed from the Crisafulli Government other than to refer the inquiry to Productivity Commissioner Angela Moody.”
BAFFA and the AEF have suggested as an initial case study the “Environmental Protection (Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation 2019”, particularly as applied within the Burnett-Mary region in Central Queensland.
Mr Holliss said: “The Reef Regulations provide a clearly defined, real-world case study where predicted environmental outcomes and regulatory impacts can be independently examined against observed results.”
Find out more at www.baffa.org or www.australianenvironment.org.au
The Parliamentary Petition is at: https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/petition-details/4488-26
Statutory review of the regulated standards under the Reef protection regulations
Bundaberg Ag-Food & Fibre Alliance (BAFFA) aims to identify, research, consult and solve challenges facing the Bundaberg primary production sector.
We recognise the need for a united primary production industry across food, renewable fuel, fish, forestry, foliage and fibre sectors in the Bundaberg region to secure the long-term interests of our members and our industry. BAFFA welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Statutory review of the regulated standards under the Reef protection regulations and offer the following comments.
The current regulatory framework is fundamentally unsuitable for the diverse, multispecies integrated farming systems prevalent in the Bundaberg region. Our region cultivates over 124 different crops, often in rapid succession within the same paddocks. For example, a single paddock might transition from sugarcane in July to watermelons in August, then tomatoes in March, back to watermelons in August, and finally to sugarcane the following February. This raises critical questions: Is this a regulated sugarcane paddock or an unregulated horticultural paddock? The regulations fail to provide clarity, are difficult to understand, and thus cannot effectively or fairly be applied to such dynamic and integrated systems...
Council and industry sign agriculture MOU
Bundaberg Regional Council and key agricultural industry bodies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding acknowledging the vital importance of farming and agriculture to the Bundaberg Region’s economy.
The MOU formalises a commitment by Council to consult with Bundaberg Ag-Food & Fibre Alliance Ltd (BAFFA) and Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Limited (BFVG) on Council issues likely to impact the production of food, fibre and agricultural produce in the region.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said it was an important initiative that would help Council stay informed about the specific challenges faced by the agricultural sector.
“Our Bundaberg Region is home to one of the largest agricultural industries in the country, we supply 25% of Australia’s produce during the winter months,” she said.
“It’s important that we continue to engage with the industry, understand the issues they’re facing locally and consider how Council can support them.
“I’m looking forward to working collaboratively with our ag sector into the future.”
BFVG CEO Bree Watson said the agreement was a chance to work proactively with Council.
“We've traditionally been quite reactive to Council decisions when it comes to planning and development rates and a whole other host of policies that impact on our farmers,” Bree said.
“We have a lot of urban encroachment at the moment with our farms, and we need to ensure that our community and our farms can continue to live in close proximity to each other and continue to move forward, acknowledging the role that agriculture plays here in Bundaberg.
“It's the third largest employer and so it's really important we have a vibrant community to ensure that our farmers can keep supporting the local community.”
Bree said signing the MOU was also significant to the wider Queensland agricultural industry.
“It's my understanding that this is one of the only Local Governments that actually has an MOU with the agriculture sector,” she said.
“I sit on the Queensland Horticulture Council and everyone in that committee is looking to Bundaberg, they're looking to this relationship that we have developed and they hope to develop ones similar in their own areas.
“So, it's really important for us to get this right and to show other areas throughout Queensland what Bundaberg can do.”
BAFFA Executive Director Dale Holliss said the agricultural industry was a significant economic driver in the region.
“Intensive agriculture in Bundaberg's worth about $2 billion a year, the Bundaberg regional economy is worth about $8 billion a year,” he said.
“So, it's very important that we help Council understand what we need and that Council becomes needs based and outcomes focused, in terms of what it provides for intensive agriculture in this region.
"[Signing the MOU] is something that we've worked for, for the last 18 months and we're very pleased to see an outcome.”
ENDS
Bundaberg to Establish Joint Council-Industry Committee for Agricultural Future
Bundaberg Ag Food & Fibre Alliance (BAFFA) was established in 2022, and members include Isis CANEGROWERS, the Australian Macadamia Society, Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers and Bundaberg CANEGROWERS organisations, plus individual cattle and horticultural producers.
The Bundaberg LGA is predominantly rural, in a region where land is used largely for intensive irrigated agriculture and horticulture - notably nuts, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables and some cattle. The region is one of the predominant fresh produce-rich regions in Queensland, often described as Australia’s tastiest food bowl - or the “Bundaberg Bowl”.
In February 2025, BAFFA hosted a successful Ag forum involving all sectors of the region's agriculture industry and involving key decision-makers around the future proofing of Bundaberg region’s agricultural and primary industries.
This included a strong panel discussion around Right to Farm and Town Planning.
Bundaberg Regional Council participated in the forum as an active voice, with Mayor Helen Blackburn sitting on a discussion panel around Right to Farm, and as a result there was an agreement with BAFFA to work together with all local producer sectors to form a joint committee relating to a Memorandum of Understanding on issues including Right to Farm.
BRC, BAFFA, BFVG and others are currently establishing this Advisory Committee sitting within Bundaberg Regional Council, working together collaboratively and cooperatively.
The role of this Advisory Committee is to ensure that we:
- Future-proof the Bundaberg Local Government Area (LGA) agricultural and primary industries
- Address and resolve issues affecting Bundaberg LGA farmers, growers and producers
- Continue to build strong communication channels between BRC and the agricultural sector, supporting the voice of local farmers, growers and producers
- Work together to develop and implement policies, rules, practices and procedures for the mutual benefit of council and its region’s agricultural and primary industries
BAFFA is aligned with Bundaberg Regional Council in securing the future of our communities and we look forward to building opportunities for growth.
ENDS
Future-proofing farming takes centre stage at Ag Forum
FUTURE-PROOFING farming will be in the spotlight at the 2025 Bundaberg Ag Forum on February 3 .
With topics ranging from the controversial Great Barrier Reef Regulations to the Paradise Dam debacle, and the role of Right to Farm within town planning, decision-makers and influencers will join with producers to explore opportunities and address barriers to sustainability.
“This is a critical gathering to explore pathways and methodologies to future-proof agriculture in Bundaberg region,” said Dale Holliss, Executive Director of the Bundaberg Ag-food and Fibre Alliance (BAFFA), which is facilitating the forum.
“Bundaberg farmers produce around 145 diverse crops and contribute $2 billion to the $8.2 billion local economy. Farming supports tens of thousands of jobs in our region, and is integral to our community and its way of life. Farming must be future-proofed, and this forum is bringing producers from all sectors together to take a collaborative approach.”
The event is hosted by Member for Burnett and LNP MP Stephen Bennett, Chair of the Queensland Parliament’s Primary Industries and Resources Committee.
The forum also is giving a “green light” to farmers on how to turn organic waste - such as manure, crop residues and food processing by-products - into renewable gas and fuels. Australia’s largest landfill biogas company LMS Energy will deliver a presentation plus a free two-hour workshop.
“Each year, LMS’s projects stop more than 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere and Bundaberg farmers are being invited to be part of that journey,” said Mr Holliss.
“It is a natural correlation for our region’s producers, who are guardians of the land we all rely on for food and drink security, to turn farm wastes into income streams and also benefit our environment and communities.
“There also are opportunities for farmers to supply energy crops - such as Sweet Sorghum, Sunn Hemp, Soy and Faba beans and Chickpeas – for the generation of renewable fuels.”
Speakers at the forum include world-renowned Great Barrier Reef expert Dr Peter Ridd, who will speak on why Bundaberg region farmers should be exempt from the controversial State Government’s Reef Regulations.
The Palaszczuk Labor Government introduced the Reef Regulations in late 2019, saying they would address land-based sources of water pollution to the Great Barrier Reef, including agricultural sources of nutrient and sediment pollution.
But Mr Holliss said: “Bundaberg region has, ridiculously, been included in the government’s ‘reef regions’ impacted by these Regulations, and this is placing increasing levels of financial and bureaucratic pressures on our farmers without any environmental benefits.
“This needs to stop. Bundaberg region should be exempt from the Reef Regulations.”
Dr Ridd is a geophysicist with more than 100 publications and 35 years' experience working on the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Ridd said this week: “There is ample justification for a science audit to be carried out on the evidence that was originally used to include the Burnett catchment in Reef Regulations. This presentation will contain compelling new information directly relating to the Bundaberg region and its oceanography that makes it absolutely clear that the farmers of this region should be exempt from the Reef Regulations – they have no impact on the Great Barrier Reef whatsoever.”
The business end of the proposed $4.4 billion Paradise Dam rebuild will come under scrutiny at the forum, with Sunwater Executive General Manager Cameron Milliner taking questions from the floor. The 300,000 megalitre dam was damaged by the 2013 flood disaster, causing a major threat to water security for farmers in the region.
A spotlight also will be put on the future of town planning and the Right to Farm in Bundaberg region, with an expert panel including Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn exploring the topic.
Mr Holliss said: “Getting this right will play an important role in future-proofing the future of farming in this region. Right to Farm focuses on ensuring best land use outcomes and minimising conflicts.”
Entry to the forum is free, and concludes with a free two-hour workshop by LMS Energy. Q&A sessions within all presentations will enable direct engagement from the audience.
Mr Bennett said: “I am excited to see the quality and depth of subject matter and presenters being proposed at the forum and have a deep appreciation and interest in the challenges confronting our region’s continued food and fibre production.
He added: “I share concerns around the future of water security in the region and the relentless targeting of farmers with some 20 major changes and 50 amendments to vegetation management laws over the last 10 years. The Bundaberg Region is the food bowl of Australia.”
Mr Holliss said: “The forum will provide an invaluable opportunity for producers to find out more about pressing regional issues as they relate to farming, and to work in a collaborative methodology to explore solutions that will work to future-proof all areas of the industry in Bundaberg region.”
Ends
Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project
Bundaberg Ag-Food and Fibre Alliance (BAFFA) Executive Director Dale Holliss has welcomed the submission of the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project to the Queensland Coordinator Generals office for assessment.
“In April 2023 we became aware of the project and provided a list of issues and potential areas of concern with the proposed development to the Coordinator Generals office with particular reference to the impact on the nearby physical environment, groundwater and the potential effect on irrigators’ water security during the filling process.”
According to Mr Holliss the Evolution Mining and ICA partners have been very proactive in addressing BAFFA’s concerns and met with them and other groups several times to better understand the concerns and to address them during the EIS process. “I have been impressed with the level of consultation and also the genuine outcomes that have been presented to us” he said.
“Our greatest concern was that the 26,000 ML required for the first fill would impact negatively on the reliability of medium priority allocation holders (Irrigators) in the Bundaberg Regional Council Area given the current interim full supply level of Paradise Dam. Evolution Mining and ICA partners have somewhat allayed those fears by undertaking to temporary transfer water from existing allocation holders and also to access the Strategic Water Reserves that are available under the Burnet Water Resource Plan and if necessary to spread the take over a several year period.”
Water and Energy are the two most important factors into our food and fibre production process and whilst we are agnostic to the source of the electrons, having a pumped hydro in the region may be a blessing into the future as the nation decarbonises its energy systems.
We look forward to assisting the project come to fruition in a mutually sustainable way.
Parliamentary visit
At the invitation of Tom Smith MP, State Member for Bundaberg, Bundaberg Ag Food and Fibre Alliance (BAFFA) representatives Peter McLennan and Dale Holliss travelled to Parliament house to meet with Minister Glenn Butcher, Assistant Minister Shane King and other representatives on a wide range of issues impacting our agribusiness and farming operations.
BAFFA is extremely concerned that the urgency to rebuild Paradise Dam by the State and Federal Governments is waning and that the Olympic infrastructure and Clean Energy infrastructure requirements will be to the detriment of the timely rebuilding of Paradise Dam.
We requested that an indicative timeline on actual build commencement and finish date be released before the end of the 2024 water year.
We reiterated the Water Resource Plan operating rules that were agreed with SunWater when the Paradise situation was first publicly raised and are appreciative that SunWater has recently recommitted to these undertakings. Not the least of which is quarantining the unsold Paradise water from the announced allocation process.
The Bundaberg scheme has significant lift and relift segments and is a high electricity requirement scheme with significant electricity costs incurred to deliver water to irrigators.
The ‘no-one is worse off’ electricity cost pass-through trial for irrigation customers in the regulated Bundaberg distribution scheme commenced in 2020 and because the current price path has been extended by 12 months, we requested that the cost pass through trial also be extended for a further 12 months to match the end of the current price path.
With respect to mining in the Bundaberg Regional Council footprint BAFFA suggested that sustainable food and fibre production take precedence over resource-based activities in our region, and we strongly recommend that this region’s future land use be classified as being only available for food, fibre, and foliage production.
BAFFA remain strongly opposed to any mining activity that threatens agricultural land, water security and the livelihood of our farmers in the Bundaberg region.