Tuesday, 21 February 2023

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (13:02): I continue to be approached by constituents regarding the lack of action by Parks Victoria in relation to the assessment of identified crags and cliffs in the Grampians National Park for sites of cultural significance. It is now over four years since those bans have been put in place, and we are going at such a slow rate I am concerned that not only are we putting at risk the $25 million outdoor recreational climbing industry in the region but it is meaning that these sites of significance are being left unidentified and unprotected. It could be 10 years before that is completed. I therefore ask the Minister for Environment to provide additional funding so that these site assessments can be completed by the end of the year, and further, that the sites that have been assessed are released for climbing immediately.