The former head of the Pastoral Land Board says growing commercial cotton on pastoral lease land without a special permit does not fall within the definition of “pastoral purposes” under the law, while the Lawler Government’s defence of the action removes the specific wording contained under the Act, which states anything grown on the land must be “essential to” and “inseparable from” the business of cattle grazing.
Monday night’s ABC’s Four Corners program explored agricultural water allocations in the Northern Territory, with a particular focus on growing cotton and land clearing on pastoral lease land covered by the Pastoral Land Act 1992.
Why do you employ a Luddite as a journalist?
1. Geez, Cotton seed is a magnificent protein supplement for cattle – 20% protein or thereabouts (good grass hay maybe 5-10% at best).
2. Always thought clearing permission to clear GRASS on the Barkly Tableland was a bit silly. (Personally I find the idea of ploughing Mitchell grass pastorally abhorrent, but I also thought building suburbs on scarce fertile farming land on the east coast was pretty stupid too, and no-one listened)
3. If any of these idiots in the environment centre crew had any principles, they would be seriously questioning the proposed clearing for the Cannon-Brookes Solar Con (which could be an abbreviation for construction I suppose), which is also on a pastoral lease, and I don’t see wildlife corridor anywhere. The area proposed dwarfs anything considered for growing food or fibre.
4. Poor old Tony Young – The RDS must be really kicking in for a retired NLC lawyer, Land Board Chair and Federal Court judge. But everyone is entitled to an opinion -legal, right or wrong and left.
5. I haven’t bothered with 4 Corners since 2011 and rely on the NT Independent for some proper journalism. If all it is going to be is a megaphone for the ABC and Environment Centre, why are we bothering?