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Thwaites, Bracks Must Come Clean On Alpine GrazingThe Bracks Government has today continued its hate campaign against country Victoria, deliberately misleading or being ignorant of the actual number of cattle that will be able to continue grazing in high country State forests. By Philip Davis - 10th June 2005 - Back to News Shadow Minister for Country Victoria Philip Davis said Labor’s Environment Minister John Thwaites and Steve Bracks continue to claim that despite Labor’s ban on cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park, 10,000 cattle would continue to graze in high country State forests.
"The true figure is closer to 4000 according to the Alpine Grazing Taskforce Report and, because State forest and Alpine National Park licenses are contiguous, cattlemen who hold both licenses will lose most of their forest licenses in this ban, not just the alpine grazing license," Mr Davis said.
"When the Alpine National Park was created in 1989, an imaginary line was drawn on the map through the grazing runs with some licenses within the national park and forest licenses in the remaining part.
"Given that cattle can’t read maps and there is no physical boundary between the national park and state forest, both licenses will therefore effectively be lost."
Mr Davis said the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria also estimate that only 1000 would remain in the high country forest areas – just 10 per cent of what Steve Bracks and John Thwaites are telling us.
The Alpine Grazing Taskforce report states:
"A maximum of 7914 adult equivalent cattle are licensed to graze in the Alpine National Park. Licenses are issued for State forest in the high country in the general vicinity of the park allow about 10,000 cattle to graze, including about 4000 cattle under licenses which include areas above 1200 metres. National park licensees also hold licenses to graze about 6000 (of the 10,000) cattle in the State forest." (page 17, part 2.19)
"Many of the State forest grazing license areas are contiguous with license areas in the national park, having been a single license area before the park was created." (page 17, part 2.18)
Mr Davis said Labor’s decision to ban Alpine grazing means 8000 cattle would be lost from the alpine park, 9000 from forest areas – a total of 17,000.
"It will be interesting to see if Steve Bracks or John Thwaites actually come clean on their claims today and address the Country Voice rally to reveal the real truth – that very few cattle will remain in the high country and only a handful of families will still be involved in high country grazing," Mr Davis said.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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