The NSW Government last week withdrew what is referred to as the dual consent private native forestry bill, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Private Native Forestry) Bill 2022. 

It is possible in the past week to look at news headlines concerning all mainland eastern States and see open contemptuous rampant hypocrisy at play.  But the conduct around this Bill is possibly the better example.

In March 2021 the State Government announced that it would review the Code of Practices for Private Native Forestry (PNF) permits and operations to include concerns about fauna protection including koalas.  This work took a year to complete with interdepartmental involvement.  The regulations were greatly enhanced including environmental protection measures. The outcome is that at least a 20-25 per cent reduction in the volume of timber from an approved PNF plan occurred.  

The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) also looked at the regulatory regime for NSW private forestry permits and recommended, for sound environmental administrative reasons, that the role of local councils through land planning laws be removed from the process.  This is where the term dual consent came about.  The rationale here was the expertise for setting standards, gaining approvals and compliance and monitoring issues for gaining the better environmental outcomes sat with the NSW State Government bureaucracy.

The State ALP Opposition was briefed on this work.  The ALP Environment Spokesperson Penny Sharpe MLC, a long-term critic of any native forest harvesting, was personally briefed.  It is understood that her response was very favorable as the proposal would have introduced certification of harvested product and the introduction of forest stewardship plans, an important environmental and long-term sustainability measure.

Whilst the timing of the Bill into the Parliament is a piece of very odd Government legislative management, it is what the ALP did that is the more extraordinary.  Having indicated support for the environmental features that would come with the removal of dual consent for PNF, Penny Sharpe came out and called the bill a land-clearing and anti-koala bill.  Jo Haylon, ALP Transport spokesperson and Trish Doyle, ALP Member for the Blue Mountains worked the Parliament rooms labelling the Bill for what it was not.

The ALP Spokesperson for Natural Resources, which includes the PNF sector, Courtney Houssos, whilst aware of the extreme shortage of timber in NSW, and the dire consequences this will have on the construction industry, agreed with Penny Sharpe and placed into Hansard praise for anti-forestry measures at the same time.

The alternative Premier Chris Minns took on leadership of the issue opposing the Bill whilst being fully aware of the real issues in the Bill and the need to assist the construction industry.

Several conclusions can be reached from all of this.  The ALP Opposition in NSW are not ready for government, even if they could win in March 2023.  They operate Shadow Cabinet on the principle of duplicity.  It is ideology and not sound policy that is the driver.  What is said by the Shadow Spokespersons is not worth a grain of sand.  With a Right-wing leader, the Left wing still run the agenda.  The two main Left wingers pulling the strings are Penny Sharpe and John Graham.  The latter is the husband of Senator Jenny McAllister (a long-time opponent to harvesting of native forests).  When you see Chris Minns at public functions John Graham is the tall bloke hovering ever so close but trying to be in the background as a minder.  He has had this role for the past two ALP Parliamentary leaders.

Headlines in the other Eastern mainland seaboard states? Well, in Victoria Premier Dan Andrews is chasing the women’s vote for the November 26 election to cover up broken promises and questionable ethics. The former Victorian Police Commissioner, Kel Glare, says he has never known a more corrupt Victorian State Government. In Queensland the government denies polluted aquifers created by the Government, yet it is clear what has happened.

This does not excuse the Coalition Governments from duplicity. The NSW Government was not squeaky clean either. The former Deputy Premier’s erratic behaviour prevented the Bill from emerging in 2021, the prospect of Catherine Cusack continuing to cross the floor making it into a koala war bill. She resigned from Parliament and then the Shooters tabled their Bill to force the Nationals to move in the last two weeks of sitting. Then, without consultation, without any briefing and an unrealistic expectation that the ALP would support the Bill, there followed a debacle which saw a National and three Liberals stating that they would cross the floor.

The Coalition only hold Government now in Tasmania and New South Wales.

For all of them I am reminded of words that have been around for nearly two thousand years that point to the visible proof of the real measure of someone.  It is an odd thing to use extracts from scripture to highlight the hypocrisy of the political class, but the language is so very apt not to let the opportunity pass.

Matthew 7:16
By their deeds you will know them.

Matthew 7:15-20 (King James version)
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

James 2:24
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not faith alone.

Is it no surprise that politicians are held in such contempt and that good people no longer will offer themselves for public service? This is an on-going dilemma for us all.

The saying: ‘We get the parliamentarians we deserve’ is harsh but until the electorate says enough is enough and we demand candidates with real life experience and not career and paid political ‘game of thrones’ players, the possibility of even further deterioration of our parliamentary process is real.

Related stories:
Private Native Forestry Bill: Saunders
Parliament fails NSW timber communities: Banasiak
The NSW Government has lost control on private native forestry: Higginson
Farm Forestry Bill supports timber industry and koalas: Gulaptis
Councils should back cuts to red tape: NSW Farmers