Media Releases

Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh has condemned the Brumby Government on its removal of access to river frontage for landholders along the Murray River and other waterways adjacent to the recently expanded River Red Gum parks and reserves.
In the past week affected landholders have been receiving letters from the DSE detailing the timetable for the phasing out of their traditional grazing licences and the fencing requirements that are going to be enforced.
“The Minister for Environment and Climate Change Gavin Jennings publicly stated that ‘the Government will work with landowners on a voluntary and cooperative basis to improve river bank management’, however, there is nothing voluntary about the current process at all,” Mr Walsh said.
“The full impact of this River Red Gum legislation is only now being realised by landowners and it is going to be quite devastating for many people.
“When this legislation was first introduced the Liberal-Nationals Coalition argued vehemently against the sorts of implications now being experienced and the Brumby Government has shown its contempt for country Victoria by not heeding our advice,” he said.
“I am already hearing stories of proposed fences being erected through the middle of house yards and large areas of leasehold farm land being annexed as river frontage conservation areas.
“Voluntary involvement in river bank management has obviously been superseded by Minister Jennings in favour of compulsory fencing and access removal.
“I urge all affected landowners who feel aggrieved by these letters from the DSE to contact my office so that we can coordinate opposition to the proposal,” Mr Walsh said.