Media Releases

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh has signalled a new era for game management in Victoria by today announcing the creation of Game Victoria within the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
Mr Walsh said the creation of Game Victoria delivered on the Coalition Government’s election commitment to give Victoria’s game hunting community a stronger voice and better enable the promotion and growth of the game sector.
“Victoria has world-class game hunting opportunities and is the envy of game hunters across Australia,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Victorian Coalition Government encourages people to make the most of the opportunities to hunt and fish and enjoy recreational activities that form part of our heritage.
“More than 40,000 Victorians are licensed to hunt game, an increase of 30 per cent since 1996. That number is likely to keep growing as game populations and their habitats recover from years of drought.”
Under the changes, the responsibility for delivering game management services has been moved from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE).
Game Victoria will operate in a similar way to the successful Fisheries Victoria model in supporting the development of recreational fishing.
Mr Walsh said Game Victoria would focus on working with the peak game groups to:
• promote game hunting as a popular recreational activity, an important traditional pastime and generator of jobs,
• develop improved hunting opportunities,
• develop new opportunities for game guides and similar businesses,
• support conservation projects, including habitat rehabilitation and invest in game species research,
• improve education and advisory programs for hunters, and
• develop a longer term strategy for sustainable game management and improved compliance.
Mr Walsh said the Victorian Coalition Government recognised the enormous support game hunting provides to local economies in regional Victoria.
“The activity generates more than $70 million each year and supports jobs in hospitality, the supply of vehicles, boats, firearms and ammunition, plus camping and hunting equipment,” Mr Walsh said.
“The hunting community also works tirelessly to restore and improve habitats and control pest
animals across the state.”
Other changes announced today include the creation of a new standing council on hunting
and game to provide advice to the Minister, particularly on the development of a Victorian
Game Hunting and Management Strategy.
Game Victoria will call for nominations for the council in February next year.

Victorian hunters can look forward to a bumper season next year after the Victorian Coalition Government today announced a full duck and quail season.
Visiting Big Reedy Lagoon State Game Reserve near Yarrawonga today, Agriculture and Food
Security Minister Peter Walsh said game bird populations were breeding in great numbers following the drought.
“Game bird populations have increased to levels not seen since 1984,” Mr Walsh said.
“The land and our waterways and wetlands have made a rapid recovery following the breaking of the drought which has provided highly productive habitats with an abundance of food.”
The duck season for 2012 will open on Saturday 17 March and close on Monday 11 June, 2012 while the stubble quail season for 2012 will run from Saturday 7 April to Saturday 30 June, 2012.
The duck season will open at 7:10 am in the eastern zone, 7:20 am in the central zone and 7:30 am in the western zone, with hunting to cease half an hour after sunset on opening day.
Mr Walsh said duck numbers and the condition of wetlands across Victoria would be monitored in the lead-up to the 2012 duck season.
“Locations accessible to duck hunters and those to be excluded will be determined following the normal assessment of concentrations of breeding waterbirds and threatened species before the season opens,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr Walsh said the government had moved to announce the season early to give country businesses and regional communities more certainty.
“The duck hunting season will generate a great deal of economic activity, particularly for those northern Victorian communities affected by last summer’s floods,” Mr Walsh said.
Responsibility for game management has been transferred from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) to the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
“DPI has dedicated game officers and a number of other authorised officers available for compliance duties. Parks Victoria and Victoria Police also assist with enforcing the duck season,” Mr Walsh said.

 Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh is urging Victorians this week to put Victorian fruit and vegetables on their shopping lists when planning their Christmas meals.
Mr Walsh said while Victorian growers supplied high quality fresh food to local families year round, now was the perfect time to remember the contribution of the state’s food producers.
“There is a feast of fresh, locally grown and top quality produce being grown across Victoria, and there’s no better time to put some of that food on the dinner table than at Christmas,” Mr Walsh said.
“It has been a good season for most Victorian vegetable crops such as carrots, snow peas, beans and lettuce which makes fresh salads a must for the dinner table this festive season. A dash of top quality Victorian extra virgin olive oil would also be a great addition.”
Mr Walsh said some of the Victorian fruit and vegetables coming into season included:
• Stonefruit: early variety of apricots, peaches and nectarines are being picked now. Main cropping areas are the Goulburn Valley, Cobram and Swan Hill.
• Cherries: while rain has caused some crop reduction there is still plenty of plump and tasty crop, with most cherries grown around Shepparton and southern Victoria.
• Melons: The Victorian rockmelons harvest is starting now around Sunraysia.
• Strawberries: Harvest has begun and there is some good-flavoured Yarra Valley grown fruit available.
• Lettuce: Victoria’s lettuce production is in full swing with key varieties including iceberg, cos, butterhead, and loose leaf being grown around Werribee and from Cranbourne to East Gippsland.
Mr Walsh said Victoria dominated the Australian temperate fruit industry (citrus, table grapes, stone and pome fruits) and was a major player in the vegetable (potatoes, carrots and brassicas), wine and almond industries.
“Victoria is Australia’s second largest vegetable producing state after Queensland, making up just over 20 per cent of the national gross value of production,” Mr Walsh said.
“Our horticulture industry is worth $1.3 billion, with exports generating $563 million in 2009-10 from 8,500 enterprises employing more than 50,000 people.
“The industry has a farm gate value of about $2.4 billion per annum and accounts for 44 per cent of Australia’s horticulture exports,” Mr Walsh said.

The Victorian Coalition Government is giving doggers greater arsenal in the fight to control wild dogs by reintroducing Lane’s leg-hold traps.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said Department of Primary Industries (DPI) doggers would be able to use modified Lane’s traps from 1 January next year.
Mr Walsh said Lane’s traps were banned by the Brumby Labor Government in December 2008.
“Wild dogs cost Victorian farmers $18 million each year in lost livestock,” Mr Walsh said.
“It is vital that we do all we can to reduce the impact of these predators, particularly in Gippsland and the north east where they are the most severe.
“Some farmers have been so devastated by wild dog attacks they have left the farming industry entirely. This cannot continue.
“Wild dogs also change the natural environment by killing vulnerable native fauna like spotted quoll.”
Primary Industries Parliamentary Secretary Bill Sykes said Lane’s traps that are not used by DPI doggers would be modified to meet regulations and offered to landowners as part of an exchange program to remove old, rusty traps.
“The modified traps will be shortened and will feature pads instead of serrated jaws, to improve trap technology and animal welfare outcomes,” Dr Sykes said.
The Victorian Coalition Government will also maintain 72 hour trap checking to give doggers greater flexibility to bait over a wider area and utilise other strategic control methods.
Mr Walsh said the reintroduction of Lane’s leg-hold traps, coupled with the introduction of the wild dog bounty and an aerial baiting scheme to start next May, showed the Victorian Coalition Government was serious about controlling wild dogs.
“These measures show we are acting on landholders’ concerns about wild dogs, which went ignored for years under Labor,” Mr Walsh said.

Applications are now open for the Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship, a joint initiative of the Victorian Coalition Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said the scholarships were designed to enhance board expertise and skills and will provide 34 women with training in corporate governance through the Company Directors’ Course.
The Government has provided $180,000 in funding for the scholarships which are available to women who are serving directors on non-profit boards that currently receive state government funding.
In announcing the scholarships Minister for Women’s Affairs, Mary Wooldridge, said the Government recognised there was a need for more women on boards.
“The course is highly regarded and will enhance the knowledge and skills of participants, making them better directors in their current roles and preparing them for further directorships in the future,” she said.
It will also strengthen the governance of the non-profit boards of which these women are currently directors, she said.
Mr Walsh encouraged eligible women to consider applying for one of the 34 scholarships available.
Applications close on February 10 2012 and must be made on line with further information available from the website, www.companydirectors.com.au/vicwomenscholarships

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed the Victorian Coalition Government’s announcement that it will support this year’s YMCA Murray River Marathon with a $40,000 grant.
The funding is from the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund’s Putting Locals First Program which is an initiative designed to assist regional communities deliver initiatives which support their local communities.
“The Marathon contributes more than $1.5 million to the local economy and is extremely important in promoting the river and the region as a tourist destination,” Mr Walsh said.
“With around 3000 people involved comprising paddlers, support crew and event volunteers it brings the Murray River region massive exposure.
“This funding boost is extremely significant for organisers and communities along the Marathon route as it assists with the planning, organisation and promotion of the event and the government is delighted to get behind it.”
Thousands of spectators follow the paddlers over the gruelling 404km, five-day duration of the iconic event that also passes through Tocumwal, Picnic Point, Echuca, Torrumbarry and Murrabit.
It is a major boost for tourism with accommodation venues, local businesses and community organisations all benefiting from their involvement.
“The Marathon promotes an active, engaged lifestyle and encourages people of all ages and abilities to take part,” Mr Walsh said.
“I am pleased to be participating again along with my Nationals team members Tim McCurdy the Member for Murray Valley, ex-Swan Hill Mayor Greg Cruickshank, Gerald Maloney, Kim Kirby and Daniel Maloney.
“I encourage everyone to line the river banks as the paddlers pass by and show your support,” Mr Walsh said.

Water Minister Peter Walsh today announced a more transparent Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) connections program to give landholders greater control over the modernisation of their irrigation systems.
Visiting Tongala today, Mr Walsh said the revised connections program aimed to fix many of the issues highlighted in an Ombudsman’s report released last month.
“The Ombudsman’s report into the food bowl modernisation tabled in late November revealed a serious lack of transparency and accountability within NVIRP,” Mr Walsh said.
“From now on, landholders are going to have a greater say in how the connections program is rolled out.
“It means all landholders in each connections project will have the same information and will have a greater say on the works that happen on their properties.
“A landholder-elected steering committee will oversee each project and be responsible for selecting their own irrigation design consultant to develop modernisation options.”
The revised program also includes a new independent review panel, to deliver a fairer and more equitable result for landholders involved with NVIRP modernisation works.
The panel will be chaired by Goulburn-Broken Catchment Management Authority chair Peter Ryan and includes former Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) water services committee member Bruce Jones; Irrigation Australia Ltd life member John Mapson; Shepparton lawyer Simon Furphy; Shepparton consultant and former Department of Sustainability and Environment regional director Chris Halpin; and Shepparton lawyer and former president of the Law Institute of Victoria Danny Barlow.
“If a landholder is dissatisfied with an NVIRP decision, they are entitled to have their case independently reviewed by the panel,” Mr Walsh said.
“The applicant may request a review if they believe the NVIRP decision was unreasonable, involved bias, was made in error or did not consider relevant information.
“The panel will take into account a number of factors, including the applicant’s situation, any relevant guidelines, reports from NVIRP and in some cases deliberations of independent irrigation design experts.”
Mr Walsh said all members of the panel were independent of both Goulburn Murray Water and NVIRP.
“This new independent review panel will ensure the program is delivered with more transparency and accountability, so landowners can be sure they’re getting a fair deal,” Mr Walsh said.
He said the panel would then either determine the original NVIRP decision was correct or recommend that it should be withdrawn and re-submitted.
“At the end of that process, if one person is holding out to the detriment of the majority, I will consider using the mandatory reconfiguration powers I have under the Water Act,” Mr Walsh said.

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has thanked Minister for Consumer Affairs, Michael O’Brien, for his work on the future of the troubled Smart Meter rollout.
“The whole Smart Meter program has been another Labor disaster and the recently presented report on it means that a decision on its future can be made,” Mr Walsh said.
“There have been many conflicting and misleading reports on the program that have totally confused the community as to the merits or otherwise of these units.
“Even now there are still some extremely misleading headlines which seem to be aimed at creating more uncertainty for households,” he said.
The facts are very simple: Under Labor the cost of the Smart Meter program blew out from $800 million to $2.3 billion.
As a result of this, the Coalition Government ordered an extensive review of the program to evaluate its value.
The review found that, because of the amount of money already spent on the rollout, any further delays will only cause costs to rise further.
The expert review also found that Smart Meters are quite safe and will produce benefits to consumers by helping them save money on their power bills.
As all meters are the property of the power distribution companies they can be replaced by the company at any time. Up until now, because of the uncertainty over the Smart Meters, customers were able to request that any changeover to a Smart Meter be held off until a final decision on their future was made.
The distribution companies will now continue with the rollout and replace all meters. However, despite some claims, it is extremely unlikely that anyone will have their power cut off because of a dispute over the Smart Meters. The distribution companies will work with customers who may have concerns.
Certain changes have been introduced to ensure that consumers get the best possible value from their Smart Meters and Government oversight of the program has been improved to ensure consumers and welfare groups have a stronger voice in the rollout process.
“I am relieved that there is now certainty in this program and will monitor the benefits of the Smart Meters to ensure they flow on to households,” Mr Walsh said.

The Nationals have once again entered a team in the YMCA Murray River Canoe Marathon.
The team is headed by local Member Peter Walsh and consists of the Member for Murray Valley, Tim McCurdy, ex Swan Hill Mayor Greg Cruickshank and Swan Hill locals Gerard Maloney, Daniel Maloney and Kim Kirby.
“The Marathon is a great event which highlights the mighty Murray and particularly this magnificent region we live in,” Mr Walsh said.
“It also raises much needed funds for a very worthwhile cause.
The 404 kilometre, five day race along the Murray River starts in Yarrawonga on December 27 and heads downstream through Cobram, Tocumwal, Picnic Point, Echuca Torrumbarry and Murrabit before finishing in Swan Hill on New Year’s Eve.
Crews come from every State in the country and a wide range of classes cater for a variety of craft from racing canoes and kayaks to touring craft.
“While the event is incredibly challenging it is also wonderfully rewarding in that you join with so many inspiring competitors that make life on and off the water so enjoyable,” Mr Walsh said.
“The members of our team have been training hard for many weeks now and I am sure we will put in a very credible effort.
“This is my fifth marathon and, while, they never get any easier, I certainly don’t intend it being my last,” he said.
“The effort everyone puts in, the atmosphere that is created along with the benefits that flow from the event make it all worthwhile and I am really looking forward to another great 5 days on the water,” Mr Walsh said.

Water Minister Peter Walsh has today welcomed the appointment of George Warne as the new interim chief executive officer of the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP).
Mr Walsh said Mr Warne had been appointed to undertake transitional work with the NVIRP board and Goulburn-Murray Water managing director Gavin Hanlon.
“Mr Warne, taking up the role on 9 January, has been appointed until G-MW takes over the delivery of the irrigation modernisation,” Mr Walsh said.
“He is a recognised leader in the rural water sector and brings strong change management skills.
“Mr Warne has a record of delivering large and complex construction projects and infrastructure programs both in the commercial sector and in irrigation and water storage infrastructure.”
Mr Warne has been general manager of Murray Irrigation as well as the CEO of NSW’s rural bulk water delivery business – State Water.
“He has been responsible for change management in both organisations and has experience in dealing with both state and federal governments,” Mr Walsh said.
“Mr Warne also brings a genuine understanding of rural communities and customer engagement which will be important in rolling out the new approach to the connections program I have announced today,” Mr Walsh said.