Media Releases

Walsh supports agribusiness scholarship
Nationals Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh is putting his support behind a scholarship program to help foster the next generation of agricultural talent.
Mr Walsh, who is also Shadow Agriculture Minister, said young Australians aged 20-30 could apply to attend the Woolworths Agriculture Business Scholarship program, held September 5-17 in Sydney.
“The program started three years ago to help young people employed in or studying the agricultural sector to learn how to apply best practice principles to their business,” Mr Walsh said.
“Scholarship recipients will learn from some of the country’s leading experts in business management and gain a deeper understanding of how the retail business actually works.
“During the course, they will gain a broad academic perspective on the business of agriculture from University of Western Sydney lecturers, Woolworths business leaders and other industry experts.”
Mr Walsh said the scholarship would cover all course fees, hotel accommodation and flights to Sydney.
Applications for the scholarship program, run in conjunction with the University of Western Sydney and the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, close Friday, May 28.
Mr Walsh said former Birchip Cropping Group employee James Jess was a previous recipient of the scholarship.
“James was successful in gaining a scholarship for the Woolworths program in 2008, so you don’t have to be from a major city to win a place in the program.
“I encourage those eligible to apply for the Woolworths scholarship program,” he said.
For more information on the program visit www.woolworths.com.au or for brochures contact Mr Walsh’s office at 274 Campbell Street, Swan Hill on 5032 3154.

A total of ten local historical and community groups from throughout the Swan Hill electorate shared in nearly $55,000 of Local History Grants announced over the past few days Nationals Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said today.
“The groups listed below proposed a variety of very important projects which are aimed at preserving the history of their districts and I congratulate them all on their initiative and commitment to this work,” Mr Walsh said.

Organisations from the Swan Hill electorate who received funding and their projects are:
* Berriwillock Community Development Group - $4850
To collate, store and make available records relating to the history of Berriwillock including oral histories, photos, documents and artefacts.
* Buloke Shire Council - $8000
To develop a travelling exhibition celebrating the contribution made by early residents to the social fabric of Buloke.
* Dingee Progress Association Inc. - $3500
To produce and mount plaques in prominent areas throughout the township that provide a written record of the families who have played a major part in contributing to the history of the Dingee community.
* Donald History & Natural History Group - $5698
To publish a book on the history of water supply in Donald and District titled In the Pipeline written by K.J. Rye.
* East Loddon Historical Society Inc - $1200
To conserve photographs and certificates of local historical significance within the society’s collection.
* Manangatang Improvement Group Inc - $8500
To research and produce a book containing community member’s stories about life in Manangatang and District from 1911 - 2011.
* St Arnaud Friends of the Library - $5760
To transfer from film to digital format copies of the St Arnaud Mercury newspaper.
* Swan Hill Genealogical & Historical Society Inc - $4950
To transfer from film to digital format copies of the Swan Hill Guardian.
* Warracknabeal & District Historical Society - $8000
To transfer from microfilm to CD copies of the Warracknabeal Herald Newspaper.
* Wycheproof Historical Society - $4500
To purchase software to catalogue the society’s collection to enable better access for the community.

In all 81 organisations from throughout the State received funding totalling $353,871 to assist local communities preserve and share their stories and thus reconnect the past with the future.
“I regularly receive inquiries from community groups across our electorate regarding funding under this program and am pleased to confirm that applications for the Victoria 175 History Grants, which are designed around the 175th anniversary of the founding of Melbourne as a city, are being accepted between 10 May and 16 July this year,” Mr Walsh said.
The guidelines and application forms for these grants are available from the website, www.prov.vic.gov.au/CommunityCollections/Victoria175_HistoryGrants.asp, by phoning 9348 5600 or contacting Peter Walsh’s electorate office at 274 Campbell Street, Swan Hill, phone 5032 3154.

Speaking in Parliament last week Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, called on the Brumby Government to install a turning lane on the Calder Highway into the Charlton Bluestone Quarry.
The line of site for passing traffic and for trucks entering or exiting the quarry is very limited and this section of the very busy highway has been recognised by the Buloke Council as a major priority area for urgent upgrading.
“The Charlton Bluestone Quarry has a large number of B-Double trucks who enter and exit the quarry at this point and the existing arrangements are a serious safety concern,” Mr Walsh said.
“With no turning lane available, southbound traffic must either pull up behind a turning truck or drive off the bitumen and onto the gravel to get by the waiting vehicle.
“On a major road such as the main link between Melbourne and Mildura this is an intolerable situation and one which the government needs to address as a matter of great urgency,” Mr Walsh said.
“I urge the Brumby Government to install a turning lane before there is a significant accident at this site,” he said.

A Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will implement a year-round statewide bounty to control fox and wild dog numbers across Victoria.
Shadow Minister for Regional and Rural Development and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan and Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh today announced $4 million over four years to establish a Fox and Wild Dog Bounty if elected to government.
Mr Ryan said Victorian fox and wild dog numbers had exploded in recent years and were a serious threat to farming communities and the natural environment.
“Foxes and wild dogs are exposing farmers to severe stock losses, resulting in hefty costs to farm businesses and Victoria’s economy,” Mr Ryan said.
“Native fauna and our natural ecosystems are also under threat from these introduced vermin.
“Under the Coalition’s program all licensed shooters, including rural landholders, will be eligible for a $10 bounty for every fox and a $50 bounty for every dog killed.
“The Fox and Wild Dog Bounty will give community groups, rural landholders and shooting organisations an active management role in controlling Victoria’s fox problem.
“The bounty will be a vital part of a comprehensive fox and wild dog eradication program to protect livestock and the natural environment.”
"Research shows foxes are estimated to cost Australia more than $228 million per year in combined environmental and agricultural impacts and control costs, with the direct impact on sheep production alone estimated at $17.5 million every year – in some areas they have been known to take up to 30 per cent of lambs.
"In reintroducing the bounty, we are aiming to replicate the success of the 2003 program when about 198,000 foxes were killed," Mr Ryan said.
Mr Walsh said the Brumby Government’s token ‘Fox Stop’ program had proved to be an abject failure.
“The Brumby Government has ignored the state’s wild dog problem and has failed to control fox numbers,” Mr Walsh said.
“Just 6,200 foxes were killed last year under the Fox Stop program last year, as opposed to 198,000 when the Fox Bounty was trialled in 2003.
“The Coalition’s plan will ensure control of foxes and wild dogs is no longer funded on a temporary, ad-hoc basis.
“The Fox and Wild Dog Bounty will be part of a fully-integrated pest control program which includes poisoning and other measures to control vermin,” Mr Walsh said.

Peter Walsh has his eyes checked by Optometrist Elizabeth Reay of Warburton Optical.

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh has had his eyes checked ahead of Macular Degeneration Awareness Week and is encouraging others to do the same.
Mr Walsh said the awareness campaign, on May 24-30, aimed to reduce the incidence of Macular Degeneration in Australia.
“Macular Degeneration causes central vision loss, affecting your ability to see fine detail, drive, read and recognise faces,” he said.
“MD affects one in seven people aged over 50 and is the leading cause of blindness in Australia.
“It is progressive and painless and while there is no cure, there are treatments that can slow its progression.
“Eye experts tell us that the earlier this condition is detected, the more vision you are likely to retain – so regular macular checks are vital.
“I encourage everyone to have their eyes – and macula – checked during Macular Degeneration Awareness Week – because you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”

Immediate steps must be put in place now by the Brumby Government to address the potential disaster looming next spring of the biggest plague of locusts seen in the State in the past 40 years says Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh.
Mr Walsh raised the matter in Parliament this week when he called on the Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, to forego his usual delaying tactics and instigate a locust control program now.
“The Minister usual response to such matters is to say ‘We will confront these issues when we come to them’, but I remind the Minister that delaying tactics such as this will prove to be a disaster for the whole of Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.
“Unless an action plan is instigated and acted upon immediately, control of the spring hatchings of the young locusts will prove to be impossible.
“Agronomists have estimated that up to 2 million hectares of private and public land in the north west of the State will need spraying and a well planned and executed plan is essential for this to be carried out satisfactorily,” he said.
“With a three to four month lead time needed to import the ingredients and produce the chemical to fight the locusts, plans need to be implemented now.
“Sufficient funding must be made available to government departments to enable them to tackle the large areas of public land that will need spraying otherwise action carried out by farmers will prove futile,” Mr Walsh said.
“With the extent of the infestation now apparent, assistance to farmers to help pay for chemical is vital otherwise the plague won’t just affect northern Victoria but it will spread across the entire State and this will have a disastrous effect on Victoria’s food production and social amenity.
“Action cannot be delayed and a comprehensive and well coordinated plan must be developed immediately, not delayed until Minister Helper is personally confronted with locusts at his own front door,” Mr Walsh said.

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has slammed the Brumby Government for its failed budget announced yesterday.
“I have spent the past 24 hours pouring over the budget papers in a vain attempt to find anything for the Swan Hill electorate,” Mr Walsh said.
“Instead, all I have found is some rehashing of promises made in previous budgets and a whole lot of rhetoric about how the Brumby Government is looking after regional Victoria.
“Premier Brumby had the perfect opportunity in this budget to support Victorians living in the north west of the state but he has failed miserably,” Mr Walsh said.
“There has been no funding for hospital services in our area despite glaring needs such as the current situation with the Swan Hill and Kerang hospitals which desperately need upgrading.
“Agriculture has again missed out with just a paltry $1 million extra allocated to fight weeds and pests on Crown land and just a further $5.4 million over 4 years to assist farmers in their fight against incursive weeds and pests which are basically just re-announcements of previous commitments.
“The Brumby Government are still refusing to resolve the issue of roadside weed control with cash strapped local councils still being expected to fund this program.
“Not one cent has been allocated to assist in the fight against the locusts plague that will devastate vast areas of the Mallee next season unless a massive spraying program is undertaken,” he said.
“Funding for road maintenance and upgrades has basically been ignored once again leaving local councils to bear the brunt of this ever increasing expense.
“The only school in our electorate to receive funding was Minyip Primary School and its funding was actually announced in 2009 anyway.
“All in all, this is a ‘nothing’ budget and Premier Brumby has once again shown his contempt for regional Victoria by ensuring that the vast bulk of his funding has gone to metropolitan Melbourne,” Mr Walsh said.

The Brumby Government has allocated no money in the Budget to control locusts, despite repeated warnings the insects will attack Victoria’s crops in devastating numbers next season.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh called on the Brumby Government to immediately develop a clear plan to minimise the damage caused next season.
“The Brumby Government has lost touch with Victorian farmers,” Mr Walsh said.
“After 11 years of drought, the state’s farmers have now been left to face a locust plague that is putting the state’s food security at risk.
“Last year Labor axed funds to control locusts and it is now refusing to provide forward funding to deal with the huge numbers of insects that expected to attack next year’s crops.
“At the very least farmers had hoped for money to help subsidise the cost of sprays to prevent the locust plague from migrating further south.”
Mr Walsh said efforts to reduce locust numbers on private land should have been coupled with a government commitment to undertake wide-scale spraying on public land.
“There are more than one million hectares of public land in the Mallee and most of it is now infested with locusts,” Mr Walsh said.
“It is worrying that there is nothing in the Budget to indicate the Minister has even thought about the impact this will have on farmers.
“Any efforts made by food producers to control hatchings on their own land will be a waste of time if the government doesn’t make a concerted effort to control locusts on public land.”
Mr Walsh said when called on Agriculture Minister Joe Helper last year to reinstate funding for locust control, the government accused the Coalition of ‘jumping the gun’ and said it would not allocate funding until locusts became a problem.
“Not only does this budget not provide for locust control, the Brumby Government hasn’t even acknowledged it is a problem.
“Victorians farmers will pay dearly for the Brumby Government’s neglect.”