How is this even possible?
Between legislation being passed in various Australian States, and the implementation of the Greater Cities plan, derived from the global roll out of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, there's a sure and steady move towards policing and possible abolition of personal gardens and small farms.
Small farms, roadside produce and backyard gardens may become a thing of the past. 'Further climate change is locked in', they say. The plan is for the average backyard garden to become 'out of favour' and a possible target for destruction, so that people must rely upon authorised providers of food.
Are we drawing this conclusion out of thin air? NO.
The legislation in question includes the introduction of thousands of common plants being deemed illegal, and overreach by agricultural legislation for authorised officers to enter private land to take samples, or remove plants (any plants they see fit) and animals without a warrant.
In addition, the Greater Cities (Smart Cities) plan is for reduced individually-owned resources and less self-reliance. They are espousing the sharing of all resources, hence having no need for your own. With this, many can see the imminent death of the backyard garden, the small local farms, and total control over our food sources.
The Six Cities Region: Discussion Paper
See what Victoria has planned for the public, including permits being required for swimming and accessing public parks. Check out your local Council and your State's legislation to see what similar changes may be occurring in your areas. (Please note we do not align ourselves with any political parties mentioned.)
Weapons of destruction are often disguised in ink
Source proposed changes to Victorian legislation here
Find the Victorian Legislation consultation document here
Steven Andrews, MP, from Kickstart Queensland, analyses the Victorian Legislation, digging deep on why regular residential backyard gardens may be a target, and why residents are concerned that officers could simply enter and destroy their gardens based on 'a suspicion" of noxious or illegal plants.
Stephen writes: "A couple of people have queried whether the new laws could in fact be used to target backyard veggie gardens."
The concern I have on that front relates specifically to the Bill’s changes to the Catchment and Land Protection Act, and the powers its “authorised officers” hold to “enter and search land”.
Under Clause 81 (2) of the Act, the powers currently don’t apply to a dwelling, or if the owner/occupier of the land refuses entry.
However, the Bill’s changes remove the right of the occupier/owner “of the land” to refuse entry, leaving only the qualifier that “it does not apply to a dwelling”.
The effect of this change is twofold (by my reading). It not only removes the owner or occupier’s right to refuse access to their property without a warrant. It also decouples the reference to land in the original Act to that of simply the “dwelling”.
This is significant because, according to most legal definitions I found for a dwelling – NOT given in the Bill or the original Act – it refers only to the “habitable structure” on the land, NOT the land itself.
That was certainly the ruling of a 2017 court case – DPP v Distill [2017] EWHC 2244 (Admin), – where an Administrative Court ruled that a domestic garden does NOT form part of a “dwelling”.
It's beginning to look a lot like fascism
You can see why this is a concern to residential gardeners, small farmers, and those who are attempting to prepare and feed their families in a food shortage scenario. The legislation is written so that civilians have NO legal rights to stop their land from being entered onto or gardens being destroyed, should the government wish to dictate what you can grow.
When you link this to the NSW changes for roadside farm stalls and 'pick your own produce' on market garden farms, then options for fresh produce not sprayed with a zillion chemicals or genetically modified could be very, very slim. For certain, your choices of where you procure fresh produce may be severely limited.
It's not a big leap to see where these laws could be used to force people to rely only on big corporate authorised food providers such as Woolworths or Coles.
Victorian Agriculture Legislation Amendment Act 2022
Farmers will be shackled to restrictive requirements
Did you know that, under new legislation, roadside food stalls and 'pick your own produce' may no longer be a viable option for farmers to offer? They simply may no longer qualify to operate as open to the public under the new perimeters required of them.
Hear what the farmers have to say about the changes here
Read the NSW Agritourism planning changes here
The legislation comes into effect 1 December 2022: State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) Amendment (Agritourism) 2022: epi-2022-593 (nsw.gov.au). While the NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s blurb on Agritourism reads as very upbeat, it does not reveal the extent of the additional requirements that will be mandated for farmers and the agricultural sector. See the legislation “Amendment of State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008” linked here
Keep in mind that both the Victorian and NSW Bills will come into effect at the end of 2022. Is the timing just a coincidence as the media have been mentioning warnings of food shortages coming?
