Media Releases

In Parliament yesterday Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, called on the Minister for Water, Tim Holding, to ensure there is a flow of water to Little Lake Boort to provide an environmental refuge for the coming summer and autumn months.

“At the moment the environmental allocation is going to Lake Yando which is one of the district wetlands, but a better outcome would be achieved by putting the water into Little Lake Boort,” Mr Walsh said.

“Most of the water being placed into Lake Yando will be gone by the end of summer, whereas if it was placed into Little Lake Boort it would guarantee a permanent body of water for the whole year.

“In 2005 the Government gazetted a bulk entitlement allocation of 300 ML for Little Lake Boort recognising the lake’s environmental significance,” he said.

“With the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline almost complete the water savings from the Waranga Western Channel service to that area have been gazetted to ensure the supply to Little Lake Boort is met.

“Any reasonable person would have expected that the 300 ML would now be available for Little Lake Boort,” Mr Walsh said in Parliament.

“However, the Minister has now decided that the savings from the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline will all be diverted to Melbourne via the North-South Pipeline.

“Therefore, it would have been much more sensible to ensure that the Murray River environmental water, now being put into Lake Yando, be provided as a permanent body of water in Little Lake Boort as an environmental refuge rather than placing it where it will evaporate by the end of February,” he said.

The Brumby Government is driving regional water authorities into the ground through its appalling mismanagement of water, according to Shadow Minister for Country Water Resources and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh.

Mr Walsh said an audit of the financial position of water entities tabled in State Parliament by Auditor-General Des Pearson today revealed huge borrowings by the state’s water corporations.

“Seven of the 13 regional urban water corporations and two rural water corporations are running at a loss,” Mr Walsh said.

“These water authorities are going bust under the Brumby Government’s watch.”

Mr Walsh said the state’s water authorities were facing huge financial losses because the Brumby Government had pressured them to be overly ambitious in their plans to scale back water restrictions.

“Prolonged water restrictions have led to significant reductions in budgeted income leaving some of the state’s water authorities on the brink of collapse,” Mr Walsh said.

“Coliban Water customers in particular face further price increases and continued water restrictions as a result of the dire state of its finances.

“The Brumby Government has given Coliban Water the green light to borrow money to meet its operating costs.

“The water authority now faces having to bring in the Essential Services Commission to review its water price structure and will likely have to increase water prices,” Mr Walsh said.

Other water authorities marked as high risk in the Auditor-General’s report include Barwon Water, Central Highlands Water, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water, South Gippsland Water and Western Water.

“These water authorities are at high risk of short-term and immediate financial sustainability concerns,” Mr Walsh said.

“Consumers are the ones who are footing the bill for the Brumby Government’s mismanagement of water.”

Media contact: Peter Walsh 0428 507 541

Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh is encouraging students from across the region to apply for The Nationals Scholarship for Young Leaders.

The Nationals Scholarship for Young Leaders is open to students aged 16-25 who are attending their first year of tertiary study and awards a share in $5,000 for one or more successful applicants.

“The Nationals recognise the high costs young country people face studying in metropolitan areas,” Mr Walsh said.

“Accessing higher education is now even harder due to the Federal Labor Government’s proposed Youth Allowance changes which require students to work 30 hours a week for up to two years to qualify for independent Youth Allowance,” he said.

“Without financial assistance many country students cannot afford the high cost of living away from home, which is around $20,000 a year.

“The Nationals Scholarship is a positive contribution to helping country students overcome the economic barriers that prevent country students from attaining a tertiary qualification,” Mr Walsh said.

“I encourage all students currently in Year 12 who are undertaking tertiary study in 2010 to consider applying for the Nationals Scholarship,” he said.

The Nationals Scholarship will open in January 2010 and close at the end of February. Contact Peter Walsh’s office on 5032 3154 or email peter.walsh@parliament.vic.gov.au for more information.

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, is calling on all ex-service organisations, councils and community organisations who have an interest in the maintenance of their local war memorials to apply for a grant to assist in any restoration work that may be required.

“Grants are available for funding of up to $10,000 to upgrade and enhance local commemorative sites and honour rolls,” Mr Walsh said.

“Practically every community has a war memorial commemorating the courage, spirit and sacrifice of local servicemen and women.

“Unfortunately, over time these memorials suffer from the elements and this grants program is designed to assist communities to reinstate them to their original condition,” he said.

“Our war memorials are a sign of our enduring respect for the sacrifice made by so many and they also provide an opportunity for our younger generations to learn about and appreciate the legacy of our war veterans,” Mr Walsh said.

Applications for the grant close on February 15, 2010 and forms can be accessed by phoning 1300 366 356 or by going to the grants website www.grants.dpcd.vic.gov.au.

Better environmental outcomes cannot be achieved in Victoria’s river red gum forests simply by turning them into national parks.

Deputy Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture Peter Walsh said the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition would not support the Crown Lands (River Red Gums) Amendment Bill because it would heighten the risk of fire and do little to improve the health of the forests.

“Even the Victorian Environment and Assessment Council has stated that changes to public land use categories will do virtually nothing for the health of the forests,” Mr Walsh said.

“The biggest single issue affecting the health of the forests is water and on that, the Brumby Government’s track record is appalling.

“The government has repeatedly looted environmental water which would have made a real difference to the health of these forests.

“Most recently they have taken 14 billion litres from savings made from the Wimmera Mallee pipeline for the north-south pipeline.”

Mr Walsh said the Coalition was also concerned that turning the forests into national parks would increase the risk of fire.

“There are no provisions in the legislation put forward by the Brumby Government to address the heightened risk of fire,” Mr Walsh said.

“VEAC has previously suggested that just $1 million of extra funding would be enough to manage these new parks.

“In its final report it recommended the government retain an average of at least 50 tonnes of coarse woody debris on the forest floor.

“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition believes those two factors present an unacceptable risk of fire to the forest and to the communities which border it,” Mr Walsh said.

Media contact: Peter Walsh 0428 507 541

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, yesterday tabled in Parliament the Show Day petition that has been circulating around the Yarriambiack Shire over the past month.

“I tabled the petition with 120 signatures gathered from the Rupanyup Show during the last sitting of Parliament and yesterday I had great pleasure in tabling a further 1291 signatures on the petition gathered since that time,” Mr Walsh said.

“This issue that has come about through the sheer pig-headedness of the Brumby Government has caused an enormous backlash amongst rural and regional communities.

“For a government that professes to govern for all of Victoria, Premier Brumby and his Ministers have shown a complete disregard for country Victorians,” he said.

“The Minister for Agriculture Joe Helper has said that he is happy to sit back and watch what happens this year and see whether a consistent set of issues develops.

“Well, it is obvious from this petition that there is a groundswell of opposition against the legislation and it is time Mr Helper stopped his sitting around and conceded that a change of the legislation is needed,” Mr Walsh said.

“I congratulate the residents of the Yarriambiack Shire for supporting the petition and I assure all signatories that The Nationals will keep pursuing the issue until common sense prevails,” Mr Walsh said.

The Brumby Government should use targeted cattle grazing to reduce the risk of fire in red gum forests, a leading forest ecologist believes.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh said University of Melbourne botanist Peter Attiwill backed the measure as part of an investigation into the site of an intense Department of Sustainability and Environment burn in the Barmah Forest.

“Dr Attiwill investigated the site at Browns Camp and wrote a report on his observations at the request of the Rivers and Red Gum Environment Alliance,” Mr Walsh said.

“He concluded the government could better mitigate the risk of fire in red gum forests by using targeted spring and summer grazing in conjunction with cool prescribed burning.

“While cool burns are vital as a fire mitigation measure, Dr Attiwill’s report shows in river red gum forests they must be conducted in combination with controlled grazing.”

Mr Walsh, who today inspected Browns Camp with The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller and members of the Rivers and Red Gum Environment Alliance, said the report validated concerns about the government’s plan to turn the forests into national parks.

“Last year a cross-party parliamentary inquiry supported the use of grazing as a tool to complement other fuel reduction strategies on public land,” Mr Walsh said.

“Even the Department of Primary Industries advises landholders to use targeted spring and summer grazing as a simple and effective way to reduce the risk of fire on their properties.

“The Brumby Government has ignored expert advice, including that of its own department, which agrees cattle grazing should be used to reduce fuel loads,” Mr Walsh said.

Mr Weller said the release of the report was timely, with the Brumby Government’s legislation to permanently ban cattle grazing in river red gum forests set to be debated as early as next week.

“The Nationals will use this study to inform the debate of the expert opinion opposing the government’s plans to end traditional practices in forests,” Mr Weller said.

“Dr Attiwill’s study shows conclusively that the government’s plan to turn river red gum forests into national parks is not the best means of either conserving the forest or controlling the fire risk.

“The government would achieve much more if it worked with northern Victorian communities and landholders, instead of riding roughshod over communities who have generations of knowledge and experience,” Mr Weller said.

Media contact: Peter Walsh 0428 507 541