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Government Leaves Gippsland Residents Out In Cold: IngramThe Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, has condemned what he describes as "ongoing duck-shoving and bureaucratic incompetence" that looks like leaving many By Craig Ingram - 30th March 2009 - Back to News Gippslanders in the cold this winter, with limited or no access to firewood.
"The only source of household heating for many Gippslanders -- including many low income residents and pensioners -- is firewood supplied by local commercial firewood cutters," Mr Ingram said
"The State Government’s inability to resolve an ongoing firewood supply arrangement for commercial firewood harvesters is a disgrace and will be felt across the region this winter, with a shortage of firewood for home heating."
Mr Ingram said he has been urging the State Government to intervene and resolve the matter since December 2005 and today predicted a desperate shortage of firewood available through commercial operators and their suppliers this winter.
"Commercial firewood cutters have traditionally either been allocated logging coupes after harvesting operations, or specialty coupes for those who also harvest fence posts and other specialty products," Mr Ingram said.
"The system was changed in this region several years ago whereby commercial operators now have to bid in a VicForests auction system and then have the wood delivered to them.
"This has meant an escalation in price and has resulted in many contractors being forced out of the industry as they do not have the land available for storage or the heavy machinery needed for handling the logs."
Mr Ingram will circulate a petition via local wood merchants and heater suppliers calling on the State Government to fix the problem once and for all.
"I would urge concerned local residents who rely on firewood from commercial merchants to sign the petition, which I will present to Parliament in May prior to the start of winter," he concluded.
Copies of the petition are also available from Mr Ingrams’ office.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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