NSW land-clearing approvals increased 13-fold since laws relaxed in 2016

Independent MP calls for approvals pause as Natural Resources Commission report shows more than 37,000ha approved last year

Land-clearing approvals in New South Wales have increased nearly 13-fold since the Coalition government relaxed laws in 2016, according to a secret report to the state cabinet by its Natural Resources Commission.

The report, marked "Cabinet in Confidence", was commissioned by the government in January 2019 under an agreement between the Liberals and Nationals to review land clearing if applications exceeded 20,000ha a year. The commission handed it to the government in July, but released it only after the Independent MP Justin Field threatened legal action.