Tuesday, 7 June 2022

Bass Coast planning

Ms BURNETT-WAKE (Eastern Victoria) (19:24): (1955) My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Planning. It concerns the distinctive areas and landscape draft statement of planning policy and how it impacts farmers in the significant landscape overlay on the Bass Coast. The action that I seek is for the minister to confirm that post-and-wire fences will be exempt from these rules altogether and to abandon all other proposals which adversely impact the farming community in the Bass Coast council area.

This issue was raised with me by Aaron Brown, the Liberal candidate for Bass. Aaron has a farming background so knows firsthand how some of the proposed amendments will adversely impact the farming community. I know he has also consulted with them widely. The government is proposing to amend the planning scheme and require farmers in the significant landscape overlay to obtain a permit for post-and-rail fences over 1.8 metres. These changes will also mean sheds and structures must be located out of sight of roads and public walking tracks. Permits will also be required to remove or lop native vegetation and exotic trees.

My farming constituents in the Bass Coast region are outraged by these proposals. As anyone with the slightest clue about farming would know, if a fence is broken you have very limited time to get in and fix that fence before livestock starts straying onto roads or blocking laneways. Farmers are subject to penalties under state laws if their animals roam onto roads and become a safety hazard. If a council officer believes livestock are not adequately confined and serves a notice, the owner can be hit with fines of up to $9087—that is, 50 penalty units. These animals are farmers’ livelihoods. They do not have the time to sit through bureaucratic processes and wait for a permit to replace a fence. This government, under the draft, wants farmers to pay and wait to receive a permit before removing native vegetation. What happens when a tree is about to fall on a house or a fence? Are they meant to let the cattle roam while they apply for a second permit to fix the fence? The rules around placement of sheds are costly and impractical. Sheds are often near road corridors so farmers can get equipment out and drive across the farm with ease.

I again thank the Liberal candidate for Bass, Aaron Brown, for raising this issue with me. I note that the government’s member for Bass said in the media recently that there was a drafting error and that post-and-wire fencing would be exempt. That is why I call on the minister to confirm that post-and-wire fencing will be exempt from permit requirements altogether and that all bureaucratic proposals will be abandoned. This is a city-centric government at its worst. Farmers should not have to apply for permits to build fences or remove hazardous plants on their own properties. I urge the government to listen to the concerns of the Victorian Farmers Federation and individual farming families. It is critical that changes are made to the planning system to support the retention and growth of agriculture in Victoria. Modern-day farming has enough challenges. The last thing my farming constituents need is more red tape.