On The Land
9 November, 2025
Councils tell Canberra to back off Buffel Grass
QUEENSLAND councils are being commended for taking a strong stand against the Federal Government’s misguided efforts to label Buffel Grass as a weed of national significance, describing the proposal as another example of city-based decision-making gone mad.
Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader Robbie Katter said the united stance from more than 200 councillors and council CEOs at the recent LGAQ conference should be a loud wake-up call for bureaucrats in Brisbane and Canberra.
All councils supported a motion from the Flinders Shire Council urging the Federal Government to reject any move to list Buffel Grass as a weed.
“The KAP has been hammering this issue for a long time, demanding stronger action on Queensland’s genuine pest and weed crisis for years, while successive governments turned a blind eye,” Mr Katter said.
“We already have a chronically underfunded Department of Agriculture that can’t keep up with the state’s exploding pest and weed epidemic, yet the Federal Government focus is on their plan to lock up 30% of Australia’s land mass to polish their green credentials, instead of investing in on-ground management and recognising those who actually care for country.”
Mr Katter said Buffel Grass had revolutionised grazing in the North and the Gulf, helping build resilience and sustainability across Queensland’s $8 billion beef industry.
“Buffel Grass has been a game-changer for graziers. It’s the reason so many family operations have been able to stay on the land through droughts and tough seasons,” he said.
“The best environmental managers we have are the people who live and work on the land.
“Calling it a weed shows how out of touch these departments are.”
Mr Katter said the push to brand Buffel Grass a weed showed exactly what happened when policy was written from Brisbane and Canberra boardrooms instead of outback stockyards.
“Queensland’s prosperity is built on industries such as cattle, not ideology. The message from councils and communities couldn’t be clearer – leave the management of North Queensland to North Queensland,” he said.
