Media Releases

Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh has gained the support of the Liberal Nationals Coalition for a study into the tourism and marketing potential of Lake Boga.
“Following years of drought, gnats, rotting fish and dust the sight of a water filled Lake Boga is a boon to locals and travellers alike,” Mr Walsh said today.
“The return of water to the lake will be a massive boost to the region for tourism and related businesses and, consequently, I have gained a commitment of $30,000 from the Liberal Nationals Coalition to fund the development of a Tourism and Marketing Plan for the district if the Liberal Nationals Coalition are elected on November 27.
“The Plan will consider future accommodation, tourist and marketing related opportunities for Lake Boga and to determine the viability of an Aboriginal Culture Centre for the area.
“Already tourists are flocking back to the lake with summer bookings being confirmed, skiing and yachting events being organised and visitor numbers to the iconic Catalina Museum soaring.
“This is an ideal time to develop an extensive plan which will take the district into the future and set the guidelines for how Lake Boga will take advantage of the refilled lake and the opportunities it offers,” Mr Walsh said.
“I am very pleased that the Liberal Nationals Coalition has seen the importance of this project and has been so willing to commit these funds for its implementation,” he said.

The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition will guarantee the future of Victoria’s timber industry with a five-point plan to provide long-term security of supply.
Shadow Minister for Regional and Rural Development and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan launched the policy during an address to the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) last night.
“The native timber industry contributes $6.5 billion each year to the Victorian economy and directly employs about 19,500 people,” Mr Ryan said.
“A Coalition Government will secure the long-term future of this vital industry, the people it employs and the towns whose economies it underpins.”
A Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will: 
    Guarantee long-term access to current supplies of native timber; 
    Renew Regional Forest Agreements every five years to provide 20-year resource security; 
    Place VicForests under the sole direction of the Minister for Agriculture; 
    Restructure the board of VicForests to include industry stakeholders; and 
    Review harvesting rotations for faster growing native species such as mountain ash.
Mr Ryan said instead of supporting sustainable logging, Labor had undermined the effective operation of the industry by refusing to guarantee long-term supplies of native hardwood.
“The Coalition values Victoria’s forests and we will ensure they are managed in a way that is both responsible and sustainable,” Mr Ryan said.
“We will seek to balance industry and environmental concerns by supporting the expansion and growth of Victoria’s plantation forestry industry and ensuring the sustainable harvesting of wood to help meet increased demand.
“Timber towns such as Cann River, Orbost and Healesville need security in order to attract investment.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition will not support any further reductions in access to native timber.”
Mr Ryan said the commitment would provide security to the industry which had suffered severely under Labor.
“Labor has reduced the amount of available timber by an estimated 40 per cent, bringing about the closure of mills and the loss of hundreds of forestry jobs,” Mr Ryan said.
“John Brumby has refused to rule out further reductions in resource availability, opening the door to a complete end to native timber harvesting under a Labor-Greens Coalition.
“John Brumby’s failure to guarantee resource security is damaging Victoria’s timber towns which are still struggling to regroup after $600 million worth of standing timber was burnt in last year’s bushfires,” Mr Ryan said.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh said under the Coalition’s plan, Regional Forest Agreements would be renewed.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition will support 20-year agreements to be revised and renewed every five years,” Mr Walsh said.
“We will restructure the board of VicForests to make sure those in decision-making roles are key industry stakeholders and place the authority under the sole direction of the Minister for Agriculture.
“This will make the Department of Primary Industries responsible for managing areas of public native forest which have been set aside for wood production.”
Mr Walsh said a Coalition Government would also review the current harvesting rotations of at least 80 years to investigate rotations of 50 to 55 years for some faster growing stands of timber such as mountain ash.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition will end Labor’s neglect of the sustainable timber industry, and provide long-term support and security,” Mr Walsh said.

In Parliament today, Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, lambasted the ill-informed and inadequate waste management policy adopted by Parks Victoria for the region’s red gum forests.
“Last year we had the debacle where the Minister for Environment, Gavin Jennings, refused to cover the costs of the volunteer Murrabit Advancement Association who were left with the expense of emptying bins filled with rubbish dumped by visitors to the red gum forests along the Murray River.
“This year we have Parks Victoria establishing temporary a transfer station on local Government property in neighbouring Koondrook,” Mr Walsh said.
“The ignorance of Parks Victoria in locating this transfer station in totally the opposite direction to where 95% of people camping in the forest will be travelling indicates their total lack of understanding of the forest and the people who use it.
“In the words of Gunnawarra Shire, ‘pathetic’ is the only word that can be used to describe Parks Victoria’s waste management policy.
“All proposed transfer stations must be placed on Parks Victoria owned and managed land and they need to be located in areas where campers and park users will actually find and be able to use them,” Mr Walsh said.
“I call on the Minister for Environment to instruct Parks Victoria to develop an appropriate and adequate waste management policy and not dump the responsibility on local government authorities,” he said.

A public meeting has been organised by Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, for next Wednesday, June 2, to discuss the implications of the new river frontage legislation.
The meeting which will be chaired by Mr Walsh, will be held in the upstairs meeting room of the Swan Hill Town Hall and will commence at 2pm.
“Residents who have river frontage licences are only just becoming aware of the implications of the River Red Gum Legislation and the impact it is going to have on their homes and properties,” Mr Walsh said today.
“I have had reports of new fence lines that practically run through property owner’s homes, access roads being cut off and large swathes of cultivated paddocks suddenly being removed.
“Most of the river frontage was surveyed well over 100 years ago and boundary lines have become extremely blurred since then and as a result the impact on property owners is going to be quite devastating for some,” he said.
“I have called this Public Meeting so that all property owners whose boundaries front land affected by this legislation can come together and be more fully informed on how they are going to be affected and just what their options may be.
“I urge all affected landowners to attend this public meeting next Wednesday,” Mr Walsh said.

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.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh has hit out at John Brumby for continuing to ignore overwhelming evidence that prescribed burning needs to be increased in Victoria.
Mr Walsh said recommendations made to the Bushfires Royal Commission that prescribed burning be dramatically increased confirmed the Brumby Government was acting recklessly.
“Counsel Assisting the Bushfires Royal Commission has proposed the government set an annual prescribed burning target of between five per cent and 10 per cent of the available public land estate,” Mr Walsh said.
“This equates to a minimum of 385,000 hectares of public land, a figure which is supported by the Volunteer Fire Brigades Association and the Victorian Association of Forest Industries.”
Mr Walsh said given the outcome of last summer’s bushfires, he found it staggering the Brumby Government refused to consider the target. In a submission to the Bushfires Royal Commission the government stated:
‘… the State does not support a recommendation that nominates a minimum annual rate of 385,000 hectares of planned burning’ (Source: Submission on planned burning on behalf of the State of Victoria, p.2).
Mr Walsh said the recommendation before the Commission to increase prescribed burning bore a striking resemblance to those made to John Brumby months before Black Saturday.
“In June 2008, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee recommended the government triple prescribed burning to the levels now being proposed by Counsel Assisting,” Mr Walsh said.
“These recommendations, along with repeated warnings from other bodies, fell on deaf ears.
Labor refused to adopt the committee’s recommendation and in the following year set a target of just 130,000 hectares.”
Mr Walsh said Counsel Assisting had also backed the committee in its findings that staffing in the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) was inadequate
“Evidence before the Commission shows the number of full-time staff employed within the DSE to perform duties including planned burning has fallen from about 1,400 in the late 1980s to just 237,” Mr Walsh said.
“Of the 237 full-time staff employed, only about 180 are field staff who perform tasks on the ground.
“Despite repeated warnings, John Brumby has failed to address inadequate burning levels and staffing problems. This time he must adopt any recommendations put forward by the Bushfires Royal Commission,” Mr Walsh said.

The blatant vote grabbing tactics of the Brumby Government were condemned in Parliament recently by Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh.
“The Brumby Government has cynically targeted city voters by developing the spin of the decline of red gum forests and in the process has caused devastation in businesses and communities dependent upon the timber industry.
“Valued added businesses such as the red gum furniture industry are now at risk of having to close down due to the locking up of the river red gum forests,” Mr Walsh told Parliament.
“This out-of-touch, arrogant Labor Government has sent local jobs overseas as buyers will be forced to purchase imported furniture rather than the high quality, locally made product that they have been able to access in the past.
“This Labor Government, which purports to represent workers, should hang its head in shame at the way it has turned its back on country Victorian jobs just to curry favour with city voters,” Mr Walsh said.
“In its desperation to stay in power the Brumby Government is demonstrating its belief in spin over substance and it is unashamedly pitting one section of the community against another in its bid for electoral votes.
“I condemn this Government for its blatant election grabbing tactics and call on it to revert to its commitment to govern for all Victorians,” Mr Walsh said.

A Victorian Coalition Government will reinstate strategic cattle grazing to reduce the risk of fire in Victoria’s high country, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh said today.

 

Announcing the policy with Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan at the Mountain Cattlemen Association’s annual gathering in Boisdale, Mr Walsh said the Brumby Government had thrown Victoria’s graziers on the scrapheap.

"Victoria’s mountain cattlemen are an Australian icon and deserve better than the arrogant and dismissive treatment they have received from the Brumby Government," Mr Walsh said.

"A Coalition Government will restore Victoria’s rich alpine history by reinstating strategic cattle grazing in the Victorian high country.

"Cattle grazing can be an important tool to reduce fire risk where appropriate on Crown land.

"The role of grazing in reducing the frequency and severity of fire on public land has been ignored by the Brumby Government," Mr Walsh said.

Mr Walsh said the cattlemen’s annual gathering had helped preserve long-held traditions.

"Since the ban on grazing in the high country, the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association has worked extremely hard to ensure their long-held traditions are not forgotten," Mr Walsh said.

"Unless cattle are allowed to return to Victoria’s alpine country, a vital part of Victoria’s history will be lost.

"The cattlemen have cared for the land for generations and understand the high country like few others can.

"The Brumby Government disregarded years of local knowledge and practical experience when it ended 150 years of tradition by banishing cattle from the Alpine National Park.

"A Coalition Government is committed to the responsible management of Victoria’s public land and reducing fire risk," Mr Walsh said.

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

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