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Nats Demand: ‘It’S Time To Put Human Lives Ahead Of Wild Dogs’The Nationals have warned that human lives will be put at risk unless the Bracks Government gets serious about wild dog control in rural and remote areas. By Peter Hall - 17th July 2006 - Back to News The Nationals Spokesman for Natural Resources Peter Hall says he has been contacted by regular bush users who believe it is only a matter of time before a wild dog pack harms a human.
"I continue to receive reports from people who regularly visit the remote parts of our state and they say that wild dogs are not just a threat to native animals and stock – they are a potential threat to human life," Mr Hall said.
"Melbourne Labor and the Greens must start listening to local people and immediately support aerial baiting of wild dogs to reduce the risk."
The Nationals this week released a policy directions paper titled ‘The Victorian Nationals Plan to Manage the Environment for all Victorians’.
One of the central issues raised in the plan is the lack of on-the-ground staff to carry out essential pest animal and weed control on public land.
The Nationals plan to overcome the problem by hiring more pest plant and animal officers, and training teams of people on community service orders or work for the dole programs to undertake practical work.
"We believe that there’s not enough people doing the hard work required to fix the weed and feral animal problems in our parks," Mr Hall said.
"The Nationals plan calls for an independent audit of weed and vermin infestation on public land with the results to be published to ensure everyone understands the scale of the problem.
"For example, in addition to wild dogs, I am told that European Wasp infestations are reaching plague proportions over the summer months and pose another threat to humans."
The Nationals Candidate for Gippsland East Chris Nixon said country people wanted to see a fair share of government funding being allocated to essential works.
"Melbourne Labor Ministers like to produce brochures and make warm and fuzzy statements about the environment but they are not prepared to do the hard work to manage the pests on public land," Mr Nixon said.
"Vast tracts of public land are infested with blackberries while feral cats and foxes are dining out on native animals as the government congratulates itself with more wasteful propaganda advertising campaigns.
"The Nationals plan for the environment recommends the return of the $10 fox tail bounty as part of a coordinated campaign including poisoning to reduce the impact of foxes. We also want more practical initiatives on-the-ground to reduce weed infestations, rather than glossy reports and strategy plans to sit on the shelves of Melbourne offices."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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