Labor will shortly introduce its own Right to Farm Bill into the NSW Parliament, after the Nationals failed to fix their rushed and sloppily drafted Right to Farm laws that could be thrown out by the High Court.

As currently drafted, the Nationals’ draft Right to Farm laws could leave farmers with no protection at all.

This is because they rely on the Inclosed Lands Protection Act, which based on a successful legal challenge in Tasmania means they could be vulnerable to being thrown out by the High Court.

Labor Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Jenny Aitchison said today: “Labor won’t sign up to sloppy, badly drafted laws that could leave our farmers mired in legal uncertainty in the middle of a drought. We should get this right the first time.”

“Labor supports the right of all farmers to live and work on their land safely and peacefully.”

“We are committed to delivering good laws that give NSW farmers security and peace of mind – that’s why Labor will introduce our own Right to Farm Bill that will stand up to High Court scrutiny.”

Labor has flagged using the State’s Safe Access Zones legislation – the specifically drafted laws that apply to protests outside abortion clinics – as a model to protect farmers from protestors.

The Victorian version of these laws have been tested by the High Court and were upheld.