Updated August 17, 2016 17:20:43

Photo: Conservationists gather out the front of Queensland Parliament House in support of the Labor Government's tree clearing reform. (Marty McCarthy)

Queensland's deputy premier has vowed to pursue land clearing reform, even if the controversial legislation currently being debated in parliament fails.

Farm lobby group AgForce responded by saying it would target Labor-held regional seats if the government fails to outlaw tree clearing in its first term in office.

"In terms of this parliament what we can do around another piece of legislation is limited," deputy premier Jackie Trad said.

"[If we fail] we will make sure we double our efforts because we are not in the business of giving up.

"But what is within our power is to ensure we are able to meet our commitment to UNESCO around the Great Barrier Reef."

The government is in last minute discussions with crossbenchers whose support it needs to tighten Queensland's tree clearing laws, which were relaxed by the Liberal-National Party in 2013.

Farm lobby group AgForce said if the current legislation passes, the organisation would target Labor-held regional seats in the next state election.

"The gloves will be off," the AgForce president Grant Maudsley said.

"AgForce and the Queensland Farmers Federation will very heavily make sure at the next election that this is a really important issue for our members.

"If Labor think strongly enough about it, the regional seats that Labor currently hold will be an obvious target for us."

Photo: A bulldozer clearing trees in south east Queensland (Marty McCarthy)

Amending the Vegetation Management Act was a promise made by Labor during the 2015 state election, but it has been a hard sell in a parliament where rural politicians hold the balance of power.

"It is not a parliament where Labor has the numbers, I think that is pretty clear," Ms Trad said.

"The independents are still making up their mind, I understand Peter Wellington and Billy Gordon are still yet to make a decision."

Labor ministers and farm groups were still lobbying Mr Wellington and Mr Gordon just hours out from the parliamentary debate.

Ms Trad said she was open to possible amendments from the independents, provided the changes did not enable broad scale tree clearing to occur.

"We are prepared to consider any sensible amendments that don't weaken the protections that are currently contained in the bill," she said.

"Protections around old growth forests, protections around the Great Barrier Reef catchments and protections around riparian vegetation."

AgForce argued that the latest vegetation management statistics show the majority of clearing was non-remnant vegetation, with much used for stock fodder.

"Two thirds of that [clearing] is taking place in ecosystems where we actually not altering the remnant status of that ecosystem," Mr Maudsley said.

"It will be a real setback for policy versus politics, if this gets over the line then the pendulum has gone too far back the other way.

Leadership test

Safe passage of the legislation is a test for Ms Trad and her leadership, after the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, gave her responsibility for overseeing the high profile reform last year.

But Ms Trad does not think a failure to overhaul the current vegetation management laws would reflect badly on her.

"No, it makes me determined, this is too important to Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef," she said.

"Labor has the approval of the people of Queensland who voted us in at the last election, it was our policies they voted for."

Tim Seelig from the Wilderness Society said the Queensland Government had handled the reforms well.

"The deputy premier has done a great job in the last six months in leading the reforms, we have got a bill in parliament and it is sensible legislation."

Global ramifications

However, Mr Seelig said there could be international ramifications if the Queensland Government can't amend the Vegetation Management Act.

"There are some pretty serious risks with the bill failing, firstly we will see mass panic clearing so clearing rates will push up further," he said.

"But also there's a high chance that UNESCO will consider this a sign that Australia is not serious about protecting the Great Barrier Reef

"Given that land clearing reform was part of the [Federal Government's] Reef 2050 plan there is a risk that the Great Barrier Reef might be placed on the World Heritage Endangered List."

The debate over the proposed changes to the Vegetation Management Act is expected to last up to 36 hours before a vote on Thursday.

Topics: land-clearing, agricultural-policy, state-parliament, brisbane-4000, townsville-4810

First posted August 17, 2016 15:25:43