NSW will allow land to be cleared up to 25m from property boundary, citing bushfire concerns

Proposal to empower' landowners to clear without environmental approval labelled anti-science'

The New South Wales government will allow rural landholders to clear up to 25m of land from their property's fence line without an environmental approval, a move it says will empower" property owners to reduce bushfire risk.

But the proposal, which was not one of the 76 recommendations from the NSW bushfire inquiry, has been labelled anti-science" and prompted alarm it will lead to broad-scale clearing of endangered forest and habitat for grazing and other purposes unrelated to hazard reduction.