LANDHOLDERS were celebrating yesterday after tree clearing laws were defeated in parliament on Thursday night.

Former Labor MP-turned-independent Billy Gordon was initially expected to support the legislation but at 5pm issued a statement that upset the government's plans.  

Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen was passionate in his address to the parliament prior to the vote.  

"Why are we introducing legislation like this to put farming businesses at risk? It is unbelievable.  

"This is one of the pillars of our economy and yet we are putting it at risk with these stupid amendments to the law," he said.  

"For months, the Queensland's farming industry has had their future hanging in limbo as Labor threatened to take away their rights and make them criminals on their own land.  

"Our farmers deserve more credit than that - they know their land better than anyone and they deserve the rights to manage it effectively and responsibly.  

"Last night (Thursday) was an important win for farmers, not to have those laws re-instated," Mr Sorensen said.  

He said farming was a pillar of the Queensland economy and he would continue to fight the Labor Party's rollback of the vegetation management laws. "These amendments are anti-farming vegetation management laws.  

"As a member of the Agriculture and Environment Committee, who has travelled around Queensland, to get feedback directly from the farmers, it was evident that the're-instatement' of these laws / had many pitfalls and posed unfair risks to Queensland farmers."