Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (19:03): (1701) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Local Government, who is at the table, and the action I seek is an urgent increase in funding to Mildura Rural City Council’s roadside pests and weeds program. Mildura Rural City Council has partnered with dryland farming Landcare groups, who I know are in Queen’s Hall this week, so this is a very timely adjournment matter. They have been the public land managers for more than 12 years to deliver coordinated weed and rabbit control across the extensive road network that Mildura Rural City Council manages, which is about 5000 kilometres of roadside. Much of it is unsealed, and it adjoins dryland agriculture land.

The funding that the state contributes from the state’s roadside weeds and pests program is only $85,000. That is the contribution that the Mildura Rural City Council is getting from the state to help manage roadside pests and weeds. Why this is important is it leaves Mildura Rural City Council hugely under-resourced. To be able to manage that huge road network and the invasive weeds and the rabbits on the scale that is required, it urgently needs further funding.

Our roadsides contain some of the last remaining vegetation in dryland farming areas and form critical habitat for corridors for native animals to safely migrate, forage – all of the kinds of things that little creatures do. We are talking about threatened species as well, like the regent parrot, the malleefowl and the mallee emu-wren. They rely on these corridors as an important habitat. But the rabbits – the infestations are severely degrading these corridors through overgrazing. They are eating the seed when they are out seeding, which most have completed by now. There is soil disturbance, and the competition for resources and the prevention of native plant regeneration contributes to erosion and predator pressure as well. The impact on adjoining agricultural land is substantial. We urgently need more funding not just for the landcare groups, which do a huge amount to control roadside weeds and pests, but also to Mildura Rural City Council and other rural councils to help manage their very, very vast road networks and the pests and weeds that call them home, unfortunately.