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Nationals Seek Postponement To Grazing BillThe banning of grazing from Victoria’s alpine national park is a historic low point in Victoria’s history, according to The Nationals’ Gippsland MP, Peter Hall. By news@gippsland - 21st June 2005 - Back to News Mr Hall has tried to delay the legislation currently before the State Upper House by this week (Thursday 16 June) calling for a postponement of the National Parks (Alpine National Park Grazing) Bill, until the Australian Heritage Council completes its assessment of whether to permanently include the Alpine National Park on the National Heritage List.
Mr Hall, speaking in support of his amendment, said The Nationals were angered by the proposed changes, which would preclude grazing in the Alpine National Park.
"I am angry because I do not believe there is any real scientific reason for doing what this government is doing in banning cattle grazing, and nor in my own heart do I think there is any environmental reason for it," Mr Hall said.
"I am angry because the only reason this government has made this decision is purely political and is to pander to the Greens in an attempt to get their preferences at the next election."
Mr Hall pointed out that when the then ALP Government established the National Parks (Alpine National Park) Bill in 1989, that Government recognised the traditional use of the high country for grazing and provided for it in the new Alpine National Park.
He added that the Minister at that time, Kay Setches, commented "that the government had considered some important environmental research and said that it was okay for grazing to continue."
Mr Hall told Parliament: "The science at that point of time, in 1989, says that it was okay. What has changed in that 16 years? I suggest that nothing in the science would have changed. What we have seen is a big change in the political will of this government.
"It gets back to my contention that this is nothing but a political decision. It has nothing to do with science; it has nothing to do with the environment. If you look at the 1999 election policy of this Bracks government you will see that it said very clearly that it was going to examine, and I quote: ‘... ways to remove all grazing from the park.’
"(Yet) it is one of our largest parks -- 660 000 hectares in size -- and it was specifically made that large size for part of it to accommodate grazing."
Mr Hall said it was yet another example of the Bracks’ Government’s poor understanding of, and assistance to, rural Victoria.
"It is not only this decision to terminate 170 years of history in country Victoria, but it comes on top of things like plans to dump toxic waste in country Victoria. The people of country Victoria see a decision like that as the government having no heart. It is a Melbourne-based problem, and the government is transferring it to country Victoria.
"It also gets under the skin of country Victorians that this government insists on taking away jobs.
"Look at the timber industry, for example. It has taken thousands of jobs away from country Victoria with the timber industry cutbacks and the abolition of timber licences. It has forcibly taken away professional fishing licences. It has been imposing wind power stations on country communities."
He added that the economic impact should not be understated.
"The impact on the communities in which those families live and the towns serviced by them will be severe. Towns in my electorate like Omeo, Benambra, Ensay, Dargo, Gelantipy, Buchan and Wulgulmerang are very much reliant on the activity generated by the mountain cattle industry.
"If you add on the impact of the timber resource cutbacks in East Gippsland, that impact will be greatly magnified.
"If you put together all of the small communities in East Gippsland that have been affected by this government's timber industry policy and the towns now being affected by this piece of legislation, the situation is becoming serious.
"By taking away these livelihoods the government is destroying the heart and the fabric of many of the communities in which those people live. This is having a terrible effect on the local community and the wider regional community."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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