THE Nationals Member for Murray Plains – and Shadow Agriculture Minister – Peter Walsh has condemned Victorian Government plans to reintroduce dingoes to the Grampians National Park.
Mr Walsh described the multi-million-dollar proposal as “beyond absurd” when the same government is spending millions to try and manage the devastation caused by wild dogs across the rest of the state.
He said the Grampians are surrounded by prime grazing land and the devastation caused to stock by wild dogs is “very well known” to the Victorian Government.
“The Nationals have raised this in Parliament, and we have also asked the Environment Minister to rule out this preposterous plan to reintroduce dingoes to the Grampians National Park,” Mr Walsh said.
“Local landholders, tourism operators and visitors to the Grampians National Park were recently understandably shocked to learn Parks Victoria was planning to reintroduce dingoes to the park, as proposed in the Greater Gariwerd Landscape Draft Management Plan,” he said.
“In the year’s budget alone there is $4.4 million allocated to a special Wild Dog Project, with the government noting the funding is ‘reducing the risks wild dogs pose to primary production, biodiversity and community health in Victoria’.
“A further $14 million has been allocated to additional pest and wild dog management.
“It is beyond absurd Labor would spend millions to manage the harm caused by wild dogs in other areas of the state while at the same time having plans to reintroduce wild dogs to an area where so much damage would be caused to livestock, threatened species of smaller native animals, and the biodiversity of the Grampians, not to mention the harm that could be caused to young families and children who visit the park.”
The Greater Gariwerd Landscape Draft Management Plan is open for public comment.
Mr Walsh encouraged people to submit their feedback at engage.vic.gov.au/gariwerd-management-plan
