CONTROVERSIAL reef regulation amendments have sparked a rift within the LNP with Callide MP Colin Boyce sensationally crossing the floor of parliament last week to vote against the bill his party voted in favour of.
Amendments to the Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill included a provision to appoint a rehabilitation commissioner to oversee the clearing up of land used for mining.
In turn, farmers would be relieved of the burden to report their activities to the same end as mining companies.
Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Minister Leeanne Enoch said 1857 farmers would benefit from the changes.
"There are amendments to streamline and reduce regulatory burden for farmers in meeting the new Great Barrier Reef protection measures," Ms Enoch said.
"These amendments will put beyond doubt that the application requirements for new commercial cropping and horticultural activities in reef catchments are limited to reef water quality matters such as the release of fine sediment.
"Further, there is no requirement for these environmental authorities to include details on how the land will be rehabilitated after the activity ceases."
LNP Great Barrier Reef spokesman David Crisafulli said the amendment to the reef environment legislation was welcomed by the opposition.
"Under the original changes to the reef quality legislation, individual landholders were asked to conduct paperwork to the same level as a mining entity," Mr Crisafulli said.
"The irony that this has been put in a bill in which we are discussing mine rehabilitation is not lost on me, but that clarification shows that the government got it horribly wrong early on."
The majority of the opposition 'reluctantly' voted in favour of the bill to which they have been adamantly opposed.
Mr Boyce, as the only state politician to attend the Senate inquiry into reef regulations, said he could not support the bill and crossed the floor to vote against it, joining Katters Australian Party MPs, North Queensland first leader Jason Costigan and One Nation's Stephen Andrew.
"To attach agriculture to this bill, in particular requirements for an Environmental Authority for Cropping and Horticulture Activities, is nothing short of appalling," Mr Boyce said.
"Put simply, farmers will now face the prospect of having to lodge applications to a government department to plant their crops.
"The whole reef legislation and the bill implementing government controlled agriculture must, even to the casual observer, offer spine-chilling similarities to Stalinist Russia's disastrous state controlled collective farm system that notably created mass starvation and resulted in the death of millions.
"On behalf of the Callide farmers, graziers and miners I do not support this bill."
Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter said all rural major party MPs, except Mr Boyce, had let down farmers across Queensland by voting to legislate for a government-appointed rehabilitation commissioner.
He was particularly scathing of Burdekin MP Dale Last saying growers in the Burdekin were already consigned to being heavily-impacted by the Palaszczuk Government's reef regulations and will now further battered by the new legislation.
"The new laws, which primarily instate a mining rehabilitation commissioner but also detail new requirements growers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment, will make cropping and horticulture projects in the Great Barrier Reef catchment subject to the commissioner's approval," Mr Katter said.
But Mr Last hit back saying combining the legislation which impacts agriculture with mining was a 'classic move to wedge the LNP.'
"Labor and the KAP both know it would be completely reckless to oppose mine rehabilitation, especially when it will be used for agricultural purposes once mining ceases.
"AgForce and the Queensland Farmer's Federation supported the legislation that was combined with the mine rehabilitation legislation."
Mr Last said if the LNP is elected in October, they would amend the reef regulations "to end the demonisation of primary producers once and for all."
