A death in Moree: no cause, no justification

EDITORIAL

Calling for the repeal of the NSW Native Vegetation Act 2003: Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce. Photo: Fairfax Media

Glen Turner was shot in the back on Tuesday last week. He was shot multiple times. When he was killed he was working beside a public road near Moree. He was not serving an infringement notice in his capacity as a senior compliance officer with the Office of Environment and Heritage, enforcing the law against illegal land clearing.

The killing of this 51-year-old father of two, which police will allege was the result of a calculated ambush, is a grave matter of public concern. People in the central west are appalled that the killing has attached itself to the local farming community. In this context, the Herald believes some of the comments by elected officials have been unhelpful.

Starting at the top, the federal Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, responded to the killing by calling for the repeal of the NSW Native Vegetation Act 2003.

This is not helpful, even though Mr Joyce decried the killing of a man who wasnt the architect of this law ... just doing his job. The NSW Farmers Association has described the Native Vegetation Act as one of the biggest impediments to sustainable food and fibre production in NSW. Mr Joyce went further over the weekend, telling The Northern Daily Leader: You have this crazy situation where you dont own the vegetation on your land, the state government does, and many people have had enough ... Im calling on the state government to repeal it, get rid of these laws ... they shouldnt be the responsibility of anyone to try and enforce.

Advertisement

While his comments, and the views of the NSW Farmers Association, offer insights into the gravity of this issue to many farmers who feel they have to bear an excessive burden, the killing of Mr Turner cannot be attached to even a semblance of justification because of a state law that many farmers regard as onerous.

Not helpful, also, was the comment by the mayor of Moree Plains Shire Council, Katrina Humphries, who said she had feared the land-clearing issue would erupt in violence. The mayor was in no way offering any rationalisation for the crime, but her comment is only a few steps away from creating an image of farmers with guns wanting to protect their land from meddling ideologues.

Also unhelpful was the comment by the local state MP, Kevin Humphries, the member for Barwon, who said this case had become very personal because of the protracted nature of the dispute between the family of the accused killer, Ian Turnbull, and the Office of Environment and Heritage. Many people become involved in protracted litigation. The law moves with infamous slowness. But almost never does a commercial legal dispute lead to a death. This outcome was highly unusual.

Read the original:
A death in Moree: no cause, no justification