Angus Taylor hits back over grassland inquiry

Labor was pushing for a Senate inquiry into Mr Taylor's interest through a family company, Jam Land Pty Ltd, in a farm that is under investigation for alleged illegal land clearing of endangered grasslands.

Mr Taylor repeatedly told Parliament he had done nothing wrong.

A 2017 meeting between Mr Taylor and Environment Department officials and the office of then-Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg was held while investigations were underway into the alleged poisoning of 30 hectares that contained the grassland on a NSW property Jam Land Pty Ltd owned.

Labor alleged Mr Taylor did not properly disclose his interest in the company, and wanted to know ifhe sought to influence the endangered status of the species

Mr Taylor repeatedly stated to the Parliament on Monday that he had done nothing wrong, except represent the interests of farmers in his electorate.

He also said all of his interests were properly listed in his parliamentary disclosures.

Mr Taylor told Parliament the listing of grasslands in the Southern Tablelands and Monaro regions of NSW had concerned farmers since at least 2014.

He spoke with farmers from Boorowa, Goulburn and Yass in late 2016 and early 2017 about the issue.

"I turn to the revised Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) listing, the Natural Temperate Grasslands of the Southern Tablelands Ecological Community," Mr Taylor told Parliament.

"In late 2016 and early 2017, I spoke with farmers from Boorowa and Goulburn in my electorate and Yass which had been in Hume until mid-2016 about this listing and their concerns with the listing.

"On February 21, 2017, I spoke with a farmer near Yass who expressed strong and detailed concerns about the revised listing, pointing out that it had occurred despite the concerns of the National Farmers' Federation and NSW Farmers, and with little consultation with farmers themselves.

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"All of these farmers were completely disconnected from our family farming operations. There had been strong antagonism expressed by the farming community about federal and state native vegetation regulation.

"The concern was very serious.

"There had been strong antagonism expressed by the farming community about federal and state native vegetation regulation for some time.

"The revised listing requires farmers to assess whether there is 50 per cent native vegetation down to parcels of one-tenth of a hectare, at highly unfavourable times of the year, because clover - an introduced species - must be excluded from the assessment.

"The revised listing extends across most of my electorate's farming country, both pre and post 2016 redistribution, as well as much of Eden-Monaro.

"It goes well beyond NSW regulations, and is costly and unmanageable, as it is difficult or impossible to be sure that routine pasture improvement or weed management is compliant.

"The revised listing would ultimately halt pasture improvement and efficient weed control across the Southern Tablelands and Monaro.

"It has the potential to do untold damage to agricultural productivity throughout the region, undermining the livelihoods of many of the 2,500 people who work in agriculture in my electorate."

He said on February 21, 2017, at the suggestion of the Yass farmer, he contacted the NSW Farmers Association's policy director, who provided him with their June, 2014 submission to the then Department of the Environment expressing serious concerns about the proposed revised listing.

"On the basis of these concerns, I sought a briefing on the revised listing from the then minister's office, which I made clear was not to include any discussion of compliance matters," Mr Taylor said.

"At no time during this meeting was any compliance matter or any personal interest of mine discussed.

"I have had no association with the events leading to the compliance action that has been the subject of these allegations, and I have never made a representation in relation to it. I never would."

After much debate, the house voted not to proceed to the senate inquiry by just one vote, 33:32, with cross-benchers Cory Bernadi and Pauline Hanson voting against it.

Ms Hanson called it a 'witch hunt' against Mr Taylor.

Meanwhile, local real estate agent Peter Mylonas said the same "heritage grass" had caused headaches for local developers, especially in new developments in the Marys Mount area.

"What happens with 'heritage grass' is that developers have to find other property that is brought and can't be developed as an offset," Mr Mylonas said.

"The heritage grass is a big issue and the local council knows all about it because it is a government order that stifles a lot of development around the state."