National parks
Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (14:22): My question is to the Minister for Environment. Four years ago, after decades of community pressure, Labor committed to three new national parks across the central west of Victoria. These are some of the most beautiful and precious places in our state, irreplaceable country for First Nations people and home to more than 370 rare and threatened species, yet four years later Labor has yet to legislate even one of these parks. The minister himself said in October that the bills would be introduced in late 2024, but it is now May 2025 and we still have not heard anything. Minister, has Labor walked away from its promise to create the central west national parks?
Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (14:23): I thank the member for her question, and I think the form of the Greens political party is improving because that is two questions I have received as environment minister in 18 months or more, one from the member for Brunswick and now from the member for Melbourne. I am only pointing it out there just so the public understand there have been many, many question times in that period but only two questions. But thank you for that question; it is an important question. And yes, we are committed to delivering those parks that we promised in 2021. There is an enormous amount of work that goes on in order to deliver those things in terms of the Surveyor-General, in terms of investments and in terms of the parameters of the parks, what rules will apply to those national parks. So we are doing all that work, but I also say to the member for Melbourne that we are not sitting on our hands, as she well knows, because we have had conversations in the past in terms of protection and preservation of these beautiful lands for future generations. We do that in everyday work through BushBank. We do it in everyday work through Trust for Nature. We do it in everyday work through biodiversity investments and the Office of the Conservation Regulator, in all the work we do in the environment portfolio to maintain an asset base, because it is an asset base for future Victorians to enjoy. This is something that we are close to finalising, and we will come to it very soon.
Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (14:25): Thanks to the minister for the answer. I want to underscore that the vast, vast majority of Victorians, no matter their political allegiance, support national parks. Last October Redbridge polling found 80 per cent of Victorians want more national parks – only 8 per cent oppose them – but the community is becoming concerned that Labor seems scared of creating national parks and particularly future national parks. For example, in 2023 the Great Outdoors Taskforce was appointed to investigate and recommend new national parks in areas that were protected from native forest logging, but last year that remit was revoked. Minister, was the remit revoked because Labor is giving in to a scare campaign from the Liberals and Nationals, and will you now give the Great Outdoors Taskforce the remit to protect those previously logged areas in national parks?
Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (14:26): I will say to the member for Melbourne that, whether it be national parks or state forests, what this government is committed to is that 7 million Victorians should be able to enjoy public land in the way they want to enjoy public land and that public land should be preserved for future generations of Victorians. We can do both those things. I am not getting into a binary conversation about national parks or state forests. Both are important for the state of Victoria, and the Great Outdoors Taskforce is working on something that we created the opportunity for, which is ending native timber harvesting. You do not see anyone from the Greens commending one of the only jurisdictions in Australia to end native timber harvesting. We are one of the only jurisdictions in Australia to end native timber harvesting.
Members interjecting.
Steve DIMOPOULOS: The Great Outdoors Taskforce – there is no muzzling here – have gone around talking to communities, understanding what they want to see in their own community and what the rest of us want to see. That report will land on my desk in the next couple of months, and I will respond to it due course.