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Wednesday, August 24, 2016
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Sky’s the limit MOVE over Tom Cruise, there’s a new Top Gun in town. Atherton grandfather John McDonald is following a lifelong dream by learning to fly with North Queensland Aero Club at Mareeba Airport. Proving you’re never too old to learn, the 80-year-old is one of more than 100 student pilots at the club, which is holding an open day this weekend. Full Story – Page 9
John McDonald, 80, is a student pilot at North Queensland Aero Club in Mareeba.
Veg laws chopped up By Michael Serenc A TABLELANDS MP is adamant a proposed suite of radical vegetation laws will not rise from the dead after they were cut down in parliament last week. Dalrymple MP Shane Knuth doubted the State Government would have another crack at getting their Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
through parliament after it was blocked by Cook MP Billy Gordon, the LNP and Katter’s Australian Party last Thursday night. “We believe this is another nail in the coffin for this legislation and I believe it will be buried during this parliamentary period,” Mr Knuth said. “The government knows it does not have the numbers. “We were relieved that the cross-benchers were able to wield their influence to block it.”
Mr Gordon proved the difference in voting down the bill, saying in a statement he was unconvinced the laws struck the right balance between “indigenous economic development, protecting the environment and supporting our farmers”. But Mr Gordon said he was no fan of the current vegetation management legislation and wanted to work with the government and stakeholders to find alternatives to broad-scale tree
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clearing. “Broad scale land clearing is over. What landowners are clearing now is regrowth,” Mr Knuth said. “But we still feel there should be more flexible opportunities for development, particularly for high value grazing as Cape York is 98 per cent remnant vegetation and the Einasleigh area is 96 per cent.”
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