Media Releases

Melburnians will return to Stage 1 water restrictions tomorrow, giving households greater flexibility and choice in how they use water.
Water Minister Peter Walsh said good winter and spring rains meant households would be able to water their lawns with a trigger nozzle for the first time since 2006.
“We have considered a wide range of factors including dam levels, forecast demand and the weather outlook and we believe it is prudent to ease water restrictions slowly,” Mr Walsh said.
“Melburnians have shown themselves to be waterwise, and with residential water use at a record low, consumption averaged just 146 litres per person per day over 2010-11.
“But with the Thomson just over half full and the seasonal outlook predicting warmer temperatures and only a 35 per cent to 45 per cent chance of exceeding median rainfall over summer, we have decided to remain on alert.
“Delays to the construction of the desalination plant also mean we need to be sensible with our water use,” Mr Walsh said.
Under Stage 1 water restrictions, lawns can be watered during set days and times and Melbourne’s fountains and water features can flow again. Car washing at home using a hand held hose with a trigger nozzle is also permitted.
Mr Walsh said the Victorian Coalition Government had also adopted the new water restrictions regime and permanent water savings rules proposed by the metropolitan water retailers.
“In March I asked the water retailers to put forward clear and consistent guidelines around drought response and permanent water savings plans,” Mr Walsh said.
“Following extensive community consultation, I have adopted the recommendations to ensure there is consistency across the state and watering days and times and restrictions for the use of water systems are easier to understand.”
The decision to move to Stage 1 water restrictions was made on the basis of the new Water Outlook which will be published on Thursday.
The outlook considers not just dam levels, but also forecast weather, catchment conditions, trends in demand and the performance of the water supply system and water efficiency programs.
Under Stage 1 water restrictions, Victorians may:
* water residential or commercial gardens or lawns using a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle at any time, on any day;
* water residential and commercial gardens and lawns with a watering system (manual, automatic, spray or dripper) only on alternate days between 6 am and 10 am and 6 pm and 10 pm;
* operate fountains and water features that recirculate water;
* wash a vehicle at home using a high pressure cleaning unit or a hand held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle at any time, any day of the week; 
* top up new pools or spas of up to 2000 litres using a hand held hose or automatic water top up device; and 
* fill new pools or spas of up to 2000 litres using a hand held hose or automatic water top up device. New or existing pools greater than 2000 litres can only be filled in accordance with a water use plan.

Local Member, Peter Walsh, and Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, today announced the Buloke Shire had received a $1 million grant from the Victorian Coalition Government’s Country Roads and Bridges fund.
“This investment is extremely important in helping restore essential local government road infrastructure,” Mr Walsh said.
“Our rural and regional Councils have struggled for many years to meet the maintenance needs of our road network and this funding boost meets another election commitment by the Coalition Government.”
“This funding is essential in helping keep our roads in good repair and safe for all users,” he said.
“We are proud to be providing this boost in funding to the Shire of Buloke to help aid in their maintenance programs,” Mr Mulder said.
“This program provides up to $1 million each to 40 rural councils annually for the next four years. This is a total of $160 million of additional funds to improve the condition of roads and bridges in rural Victoria.”
The $1 million has been allocated to Buloke Shire to provide extra funds for maintenance and restoration of existing road or bridge infrastructure in the region.
Mayor of the Buloke Shire, Cr David Pollard, said that this additional funding will enable Council to bring forward important road works that have been identified in their long term capital works program.
“These funds will be used by the Buloke Shire to undertake restoration works on Watchupga- Culgoa Road, Massey- Bangerang Road and Wilkur- Watchupga Road,” Cr Pollard said.
Mr Mulder said the 2011-12 Victorian Budget included nearly $601 million for road projects that would deliver significant improvements for motorists, particularly in outer suburban and regional areas.

Local Member, Peter Walsh, and Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, today announced the Gannawarra Shire had received a $1 million grant from the Victorian Coalition Government’s Country Roads and Bridges fund.
“This investment is extremely important in helping restore essential local government road infrastructure,” Mr Walsh said.
“Our rural and regional Councils have struggled for many years to meet the maintenance needs of our road network and this funding boost meets another election commitment by the Coalition Government.”
“This funding is essential in helping keep our roads in good repair and safe for all users,” he said.
“We are proud to be providing this boost in funding to the Gannawarra Shire to help aid in their maintenance programs,” Mr Mulder said.
“This program provides up to $1 million each to 40 rural councils annually for the next four years. This is a total of $160 million of additional funds to improve the condition of roads and bridges in rural Victoria.”
The $1 million has been allocated to the Shire of Gannawarra to provide extra funds for maintenance and restoration of existing road or bridge infrastructure in the region.
Mayor of the Gannawarra Shire, Cr Max Fehring, said that this additional funding will enable Council to bring forward important road works that have been identified in their long term capital works program.
“These funds will be used by the Shire of Gannawarra to replace an old timber bridge on O'Reilly's Road south of Cohuna and upgrade a section of the Macorna-Pyramid Road,” Cr Fehring said.
Mr Mulder said the 2011-12 Victorian Budget included nearly $601 million for road projects that would deliver significant improvements for motorists, particularly in outer suburban and regional areas.

The unique culture of regional Victoria’s most picturesque towns is being celebrated with the expansion of the successful Villages of Victoria program, with more than a dozen new towns and villages to be included in the marketing campaign.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher announced the expansion of the Villages of Victoria program recently, which means regional tourism boards and Tourism Victoria can include new towns and villages in the campaign.
Victorian Coalition Government funding of $1.5 million in 2011-12 will support the campaign.
“This funding will support a comprehensive co-operative marketing campaign to promote visitation to regional Victoria, which we know has a significant impact for local economies,” Ms Asher said.
Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh welcomed the expansion and inclusion of Swan Hill in the 2011-12 Villages of Victoria intrastate cooperative marketing campaign.
“I am very pleased that Swan Hill has been included in the Villages of Victoria program,” Mr Walsh said.
“Our region has an enormous amount to offer visiting tourists and I am very pleased that this has been recognised by our inclusion in this program.”
Tourism Victoria, in conjunction with regional tourism boards, will implement a multimedia marketing campaign consisting of television and radio promotions and advertising on Yahoo7 and Total Travel.
Over the next 12 months, the Villages of Victoria campaign will also feature in RoyalAuto magazine and on RoyalAuto and RACV travel websites.

Dear Editor:
The Ombudsman’s damning report into the $2 billion Food Bowl Modernisation Project has been
tabled in Parliament.
The Ombudsman has brought to light a culture of secrecy, inside deals, preferential treatment,
incentive payments and serious conflicts of interest within the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal
Project (NVIRP).
The then Water Minister Tim Holding gave one company, chaired by former federal Labor MP Neil
O’Keefe, an exemption to exceed the 4 per cent water trading cap despite the fact it did not meet
the exemption criteria. The exempted water was then sold for a $780,000 profit.
This was the only exemption granted to an individual company.
The report shows NVIRP provided that same company, Sustainable Soils and Farms, with
personal details of farmers who had been battling a significant drought over many years, so the
company could target properties for purchase.
These personal details included names of landholders, property sizes, private circumstances and
water share details.
The report also reveals:
• NVIRP was agreed by the former Labor government without a business case;
• NVIRP has paid $77.2 million to a single company without a tender process;
• Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) was not consulted about the $100 million contribution the
Brumby Labor Government had planned it would make to the project; and
• Senior NVIRP staff have a misunderstanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest and
how it should be managed.
Despite the serious misconduct highlighted in the report, Victorians can be assured the Coalition
Government will not allow such poor governance and appalling project implementation to
continue.
We are accepting the Ombudsman’s recommendation that NVIRP be merged with Goulburn-
Murray Water, to provide more efficiency and reduce cost duplication.
I have also called for a full probity audit into NVIRP. The CEO has announced his resignation and
an acting CEO will soon be appointed.
Our focus now is to ensure Stage 1 and 2 of the Food Bowl Project are delivered in the best
interests of the irrigation industry and the communities that rely on it, so there is a beneficial
legacy from $2 billion worth of investment.
Peter Walsh MLA
Minister for Water

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, joined the pledge made by Victoria’s male Members of Parliament this week to never commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.
Sixty MPs from both sides of politics made the pledge in the lead-up to White Ribbon Day – the international day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The event was organised by Minister for Women’s Affairs Ms Wooldridge in conjunction with the White Ribbon Foundation, which was established in 2007 as the first male-led family violence prevention campaign. It aims to raise awareness through campaigns and events and engaging men as White Ribbon ambassadors.
“One of the most effective ways of changing attitudes to family violence is to enable men to take responsibility and show leadership in their communities,” Mr Walsh said.
“I have a strong belief in the importance of country women taking leadership roles in their communities and my commitment to supporting White Ribbon Day reinforces this belief.
“Although preventing violence against women is a community-wide responsibility, men have a critical role in helping to stop violence before it starts,” he said.
“The Coalition Government has committed nearly $40,000 to support activities associated with White Ribbon Day which include new funding to promote online education and awareness on preventing violence against women, and funding for community organisations to promote events through the community,” Mr Walsh said.
For more information on activities go to www.whiteribbon.org.au

Northern Victorian communities concerned about the handling of irrigation infrastructure upgrades under the previous Brumby Labor Government have been vindicated by the Victorian Ombudsman.
In a damning report tabled in the Victorian Parliament today, the Ombudsman has revealed a culture of secrecy, inside deals, preferential treatment, incentive payments and serious conflicts of interest.
Water Minister Peter Walsh today thanked the people who made the effort to make submissions and meet with the Ombudsman.
“Without the integrity and persistence of these people, these issues would not have come to light,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Labor Party has serious questions to answer. The dealings of Labor luminaries including former Premier John Brumby, former Water Minister Tim Holding and former federal Labor MP Neil O’Keefe are littered throughout this report.”
Mr Walsh said he believed the secret dealings uncovered by the Ombudsman were the tip of the iceberg.
“Since the start of this project, people have told me they suspected questionable deals and preferential treatment,” Mr Walsh said.
“In Opposition the Coalition relayed these concerns to Mr Holding on many occasions, both privately and in Parliament, but he refused to act on them.”
“The report identifies a major cultural problem with the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) and some staff in the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE),” Mr Walsh said.
The report reveals some NIVRP and DSE staff provided inappropriate assistance to Sustainable Soils and Farms (SSF), a private company chaired by former federal Labor MP Neil O’Keefe.
NIVRP supplied SSF with confidential information about landowners, including names, property sizes, private circumstances and water share details, so the company could target properties for purchase.
It also gave SSF $1 million as an incentive to buy farms before the company purchased about $7 million worth of water shares and placed the shares on the properties. The water was
subsequently sold to The Living Murray at a profit of about $780,000.
Mr Walsh said in order to profit from the deal, Mr O’Keefe’s company required a ministerial exemption to Victoria’s four per cent rule which limits the amount of water that can be traded from an irrigation district.
“Mr Holding granted Mr O’Keefe a ministerial exemption – the only one ever provided to a single company,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Ombudsman also confirmed what we have long suspected: the former Labor Government made the decision to invest $1 billion of Victorian taxpayers’ money for Stage 1 of the project without a business case and, in the words of one person interviewed, the decision was ‘a political one’.
“When interviewed by the Ombudsman’s office, former Premier John Brumby claimed he could not recall if there was any specific piece of paper for Stage 1 of the $1 billion Food Bowl Modernisation Project.
“Department of Treasury and Finance staff told the Ombudsman they based their briefings for the then Treasurer on the project on what they read in the press because they received their advice through the media,” Mr Walsh said.
The report also reveals:
* NVIRP has paid $77.2 million to a single company without a tender process (p139);
* Original loss and savings estimates were based on unverified figures and as a result water loss estimates have been revised several times (p32);
* Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) was not consulted about the $100 million contribution the Brumby Labor Government had planned it would make to the project (p50);
* Senior NVIRP staff have a misunderstanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest and how it should be managed (p123);
“As a government we will now systematically work through the Ombudsman’s recommendations to address the failures that he has highlighted,” Mr Walsh said.
“Mr O’Keefe, who was appointed by the Brumby Government as the Victorian director of Water for Rivers, has lost the confidence of the Coalition Government and has been asked to resign from his role by the end of the day.
“A full probity audit will be conducted and, in the short term, an interim CEO will be appointed to take charge of the project.
“We have also accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendation to absorb NVIRP into GMW to make sure the project is delivered in a cost effective way.
“The Victorian Coalition Government is absolutely committed to ensuring Stage 1 and 2 of the Food Bowl Project are delivered in the best interests of the irrigation industry and the communities that rely on it, so that there is a beneficial legacy from $2 billion of investment,” Mr Walsh said.

State President of The Nationals, Mr Peter Schwarz today announced The Nationals Scholarship for Young Leaders will run again in 2012. The scholarship will assist students from rural and regional Victoria in their chosen tertiary pathway.
“The Nationals are committed to ensuring that regional and rural young people continue to reach their potential through higher education and training opportunities.” Mr Schwarz said.
“The scholarship winners will be chosen based on their academic endeavours, local leadership qualities, community involvement and their commitment to rural life.”
The total value of the scholarship is $5,000 which may be shared amongst one or more successful applicants.
“The Scholarship for Young Leaders has been a great success in the many years The Nationals have committed to run the bursary. The response from students across the state has traditionally been of a high calibre and the quality of the applications shows the strength and resilience of young people from across country Victoria,” Mr Schwarz said.
Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said the Scholarship was a fantastic initiative and encouraged eligible students to apply.
“The Nationals are proud to support regional and rural students pursuing their tertiary studies and promoting exceptional leadership qualities from future leaders, especially those committed to the future development of regional and rural Victoria.” Mr Walsh said.
The selection criteria for The Nationals Scholarship includes the applicant’s academic record, leadership qualities and community involvement.
It is intended that The Nationals Scholarship be awarded to students who are intending to return to or remain in the country after their course and demonstrate a career commitment that will ultimately benefit rural/regional Victoria. Special consideration may also be given to students in hardship situations.
“I would encourage all school leavers and young people progressing with tertiary studies in 2012 to consider applying for the Young Leaders Scholarship.” Mr Walsh said.
The application process will be open until February 24, 2012. Application forms can be downloaded from The Nationals website: www.vic.nationals.org.au

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed the announcement of extra funding to support the employment of welfare officers in the region’s primary schools
Funding has been allocated to five schools in the electorate who currently don’t have access to these support personnel to assist in the drive to help stamp out bullying and provide additional support to students and families.
“I am very pleased that another Coalition election commitment has been met by the allocation of funding to support these schools,” Mr Walsh said.
“Kerang South and Nullawil Primary schools, Quambatook Group School and Tyrrell and Murtoa Colleges are among the first of almost 300 primary schools that will receive funding for a welfare officer.
“They join 17 other schools in the Swan Hill electorate who are already employing welfare officers to assist in the drive to eliminate bullying from our schools,” he said.
The expansion of the Primary Welfare Officer (PWO) initiative will deliver on the Coalition Government’s promise of an additional 150 welfare officers over the next four years to assist primary school students across the state ensuring that every Victorian primary school will eventually have access to a Primary Welfare Officer.
“Principals of primary schools where the program has operated have been incredibly supportive of the work of welfare officers and have reported enormous improvements in students’ behaviour, attendance, willingness to learn and general perception of themselves,” Education Minister Martin Dixon said.
Mr Dixon said the Primary Welfare Officers initiative would be supported by other measures to help teachers identify, prevent and manage bullying and behavioural issues.
Other commitments to improve student welfare include:
• $10.5 million for the eSmart initiative to help every government school and 300 Catholic and independent schools educate students about cybersafety and cyberbullying;
• $2 million over four years for teacher professional development to manage classroom behaviour;
• $4 million over four years to review and update bullying policies and programs for Victorian government schools.

Victorians living in bushfire areas this summer are being urged to plan for their animals in the event of an emergency.
Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh said the strong bonds which existed between people and animals could strongly influence decision making during emergencies.
“Tragically, a number of people died during the Black Saturday fires after they delayed their departure because of concern about their animals,” Mr Walsh said.
“The message this summer is clear: have a plan for your animals so that you don’t compromise their safety or your own.”
The call comes as the Victorian Coalition Government launches a new plan to ensure animal welfare is addressed during and after emergencies.
Mr Walsh said the Victorian Emergency Animal Welfare Plan was developed in response to a finding in the Bushfire Royal Commission’s final report.
“The commissioners noted there did not appear to be a co-ordinated approach to animal welfare during relief operations,” Mr Walsh said.
“The creation of the Victorian Emergency Animal Welfare Plan ensures there are clear lines of responsibility for animals - whether wildlife, stock, or pets – in the event of an emergency like Black Saturday.
The plan encourages animal owners to plan refuge areas, feed and water supplies, relief centres, transport and agistment and consider the need for identification and health records if animals are relocated or evacuated,” Mr Walsh said.
“While owners have a duty of care for their animals, the plan also recognises they may need some support from government in an emergency.
“Apart from clarifying the roles and responsibilities of key agencies and animal welfare groups, the plan creates the role of the state emergency animal welfare co-ordinator to manage the different agencies during large, complex incidents.
The state co-ordinator will liaise with key animal welfare partners including the Department of Sustainability and Environment on wildlife issues, the RSPCA, the Australian Veterinary Association, Victorian Farmers Federation and animal welfare groups.
A copy of the plan is available from www.dpi.vic.gov.au/emergencyanimalwelfareplan.