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Labor Abandons Weed Control In Country Let-DownThe Bracks Government has again demonstrated its inability to manage a project and its expertise in wasting money by cutting back funding to a pilot weeds program in country Victoria. By news@gippsland - 11th April 2006 - Back to News Shadow Minister for Country Victoria Philip Davis said today the Bracks Government had reneged on a commitment to a pilot urban weeds program which had achieved substantial results and had huge potential for state-wide implementation.
"In yet another example of the pure arrogance of the Bracks Government and another cutback to country Victoria," Mr Davis said.
"The Golden Plains and Moorabool shires contributed significant funds of their own to participate in the Co-Operative Urban Weed Control (Pilot Project) through the Bracks Government’s $9 million Tackling Weeds on Private Land Initiative.
"The Golden Plains Shire provided a vehicle, computer equipment and support for a newly-employed facilitator for the program.
"Now, despite six months of outstanding results, funding for this successful program has been scaled back, with only half the funding available for the next 12 months of the project.
"The Bracks Government obviously does not care that the pilot project has resulted in a marked improvement in controlling Gorse and other weeds in the region, and the implications this project could have had on state-wide weed control.
"Labor has no idea about how to manage country Victoria and this latest funding cut proves it does not care if weeds take over the state."
Mr Davis said cutting the pilot by half was a disgusting example of waste and mismanagement by the Bracks Government and any spin-offs from this pilot program were now at risk from this failure of the Government to commit.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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