Farmers in country NSW are at breaking point as a review of the state government’s native vegetation “pink maps” drags on
The Transitional Native Vegetation Regulatory map was published online in 2017, and has caused distress for landholders across the Bland Shire ever since
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“They’ve destroyed part of my family, destroyed our income and everything, and it’s unjustified,” widower Gaye Wheatley said
Gaye’s late husband Ned planted most of the vegetation on their West Wyalong property, and most of it fell under the pink mapping
Anything under the pink cannot be picked, plucked or disturbed by law
“They even put my husband’s grave and my grandson’s grave under their pink, saying it was trees,” Gaye said
For stud farmers like Rod Hardy, the pink map is restricting business
“We’ve got little areas of crop we can’t put in, so I haven’t put paddocks in, and this is limiting what I can do with grazing,” he told A Current Affair
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Part of Rod’s land is under pink, including a section of Murray pine trees which he says are not critically endangered
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Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe told A Current Affair in a statement landholders can “have the vegetation map reviewed on (their) property if (they) think there are inaccuracies”
She added: “To date, those who have undergone that process have had changes of 5 per cent or less made.”
Rod says he requested a review in February, but a contractor is still yet to visit his property
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After years of campaigning, the NSW government has agreed to review the mapping – which was originally done
The review is now in the hands of the state’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee
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Ecologist Anne Clements spent more than 600 hours mapping the region and says some of the vegetation listed under the pink map does not meet the criteria for “critically endangered” under the Biodiversity Conservation Act
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“The areas with the Mallee and the Broombush are not under threat,” Clements said
Broombush is popular in the region and farmed to make fencing and privacy screens. It relies on “coppicing”, which promotes rapid regrowth
Gaye’s family built their Broombush business from the roots up, but now their income has been destroyed
“Completely overnight… just destroyed by someone who hasn’t even put a foot on my land,” Gaye said
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Clements submitted her review to the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee nine months ago
In the meantime, the mental health of farmers and landholders is now at crisis point
“We lost a good mate to this… and it’s just so unnecessary,” Keith Rowe, Vice President of the West Wyalong Landholders’ Right to Farm group, said
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“They have the nomination, the peer-reviewed nomination that will clear this up in a meeting.”
The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee has told A Current Affair it “will consider all available relevant information, including vegetation maps, submissions and scientific material provided through the nomination and review process (including the submission from Dr Clements)“
“The Committee is unable to give a timeline for completion, as the duration of the process will depend not only on the availability of data and expertise and the complexity of the assessment, but also on the outcome,” the committee said
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000)
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FULL STATEMENT FROM NSW THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) cannot answer questions about the Draft Native Vegetation Regulatory (NVR) Map, which is the responsibility of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).The Committee accepted a nomination to review the Mallee and Mallee-Broombush dominated woodland and shrubland, lacking Triodia, in the NSW South Western Slopes Bioregion Critically Endangered Ecological Community (Mallee Broombush CEEC) in November 2025.The Committee will consider all available relevant information, including vegetation maps, submissions and scientific material provided through the nomination and review process (including the submission from Dr Clements), and on-ground survey of the ecological community provided by an independent contractor. The process of gathering and assessing this information is ongoing.The Committee appreciates that this process has taken time and thanks West Wyalong land holders for their patience while the Committee works through this process. Review of a listing is a significant matter and it takes time to compile, analyse and consider all available information. The Committee is doing everything possible to ensure that the assessment is thorough, unbiased and accurate.The Committee is unable to give a timeline for completion, as the duration of the process will depend not only on the availability of data and expertise and the complexity of the assessment, but also on the outcome.If the listing level and community description are not changed, then the process stops after the conservation assessment has been endorsed by the Committee.However, if the listing level or community description change, then the Committee drafts a preliminary determination.Once the preliminary determination is endorsed by the Committee, it is publicly exhibited for 12 weeks (at which point any interested parties can make a submission).The Committee considers all submissions before making a final determination, after which it takes 6-8 weeks for the final determination to be published and the changed outcome to take effect on the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.The Committee is an independent body not under the direction of the Minister or the Department. The Committee makes its own assessments and determinationsbased on information available at the time an assessment is undertaken.In 2010, the Committee listed the Mallee and Mallee Broombush dominated woodland and shrubland as a critically endangered ecological community, andreferenced “potential over-harvesting for eucalyptus oil production and cut broombush” as a potential threat to the CEEC.CEECs listed by the Committee are required by the Local Land Services (LLS)Regulation to be mapped as Category 2-Sensitive Regulated Land.Further information about the original independent Committee determination made 24 September 2010 is available online.
FULL STATEMENT FROM ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PENNY SHARPE:
There is an existing approval pathway to allow for continued harvesting. Landholders can seek approval to continue harvesting through the Native Vegetation Panel, which is an independent government agency. So far, the Panel has had no applications through this process.There is also a free opportunity to have the vegetation map reviewed on your property if you think there are inaccuracies. To date, those who have undergone that process have had changes of 5% or less made.I have requested the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee review the listing status of the Mallee Broombush. This is an independent review.
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