Katter’s Australian Party MP Shane Knuth has been lobbying for a better relationship between Cape York graziers and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
KATTER’S Australian Party MP Shane Knuth has welcomed the honesty of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s new Northern Parks regional director Matt Brien after he gave a commitment to improving cattle management and working with graziers to avoid shooting cattle in national parks.
Mr Knuth also said the appointment of former Cloncurry stock inspector and buffalo farmer Cameron Jackson to a new senior ranger position was a good move.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but unless Matt and Cameron have complete autonomy, then their biggest hurdle will be dealing with the bureaucracy from Brisbane-based department officials,” Mr Knuth said.
The Member for Hill has been highly critical and vocal on slaughtering cattle in national parks, which he said was wasting a highly valuable resource.
“There is absolutely no way you can stop the movement of cattle onto national parks,” he said.
“You cannot fence thousands of kilometres of parks, as any fencing simply gets knocked over during the wet season, so you have to have a strong relationship with landowners and Traditional Owners to ensure there is ample opportunity to muster cattle.”
Mr Knuth said poor consultation with landowners, inadequate notice and lengthy approval times to secure permits for access to parks to retrieve cattle had been frustrating for landowners.
“Mr Jackson’s commitment to streamline the permit application process to remove cattle from national parks, would be welcomed by landowners,” the MP said.
“I am hopeful that this will finally lead to a better working and more transparent system, which is all I and landowners have been asking for.
“I congratulate Matt and Cameron’s open admissions at the recent Cape York NRM grazing forum and look forward to a more successful approach in dealing with this issue.”
