Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Crown land management

Mr McCURDY: This week I have been approached by four different landholders regarding the new camping and riverfront regulations. There is no other word for this than ‘debacle’. One property owner told me that the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) will not meet with them, will not discuss what can and cannot be done by the campers and has only referred them to a website. Another farmer that I visited showed me a makeshift bridge, which is the access point for vehicles to reach the designated parking area for the Crown riverfrontage. This makeshift bridge is without doubt the most unsafe property access that I have ever seen. It is basically two steel railway lines for cars to drive over; room for error—absolutely zero. I urge the government to put a hold on their fantasy to open up riverfront camping until it is safe to do so.

The government have thrown DELWP under the bus, and the sites are just not safe or ready for access. There is no possible way, under any circumstances, that this particular site is safe. The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change should stop hiding in Melbourne, get out into the bush and talk to the landholders. The government for Melbourne has dreamed up this spin plan to open up access to waterways but has not put practical and responsible safety plans in place. If an accident occurs because of the government’s desire to rush in with this half-baked plan, the government should hang their heads in shame. There is no way known that farmers would be allowed to proceed in such an unsafe manner. So what is the Premier’s rush? Is November coming around too soon?