Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Toorourrong Reservoir Park

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (18:48): (1952) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action that I seek is for the minister to implement several actions that I will outline in my contribution to reduce the fire risk at the Toorourrong Reservoir Park.

Toorourrong Reservoir is a Melbourne Water facility just north of Whittlesea township, and the surrounding park is managed by Parks Victoria. I recently met with members of the Friends of Toorourrong, together with the Whittlesea and surrounds fire guard group, who are highly concerned about the increasing fire risk at the Toorourrong Reservoir Park. This is a high-risk bushfire area that was devastated in the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, and all steps possible must be taken to reduce the chance of future fires. Since the bushfires of 2009 regrowth in the area has been tremendous, and there have not been any controlled burns to reduce the increase in fuel load. There is also confusion amongst park visitors about where and when cooking fires can be lit. The park provides both electric and wood fire barbecues as well as pits for disposing of ash and coals. The wood fire barbecues give the false impression that lighting open fires is permissible around the park when it is not. Some visitors are also unwilling for cultural reasons to cook on barbecues where meat has been cooked and instead cook over fires in the ash pits or open fires on park grounds. These inappropriate fires could easily get out of control and lead to bushfires, with deadly consequences.

Friends of Toorourrong volunteers have made several recommendations to reduce the fire risk in the park, and I am supporting their call for action to be taken. First, there should be controlled burns in the surrounding bush to reduce the fuel load. Second, the wood fire barbecues should be removed and there should be a ban on all open fires in the park. Third, there should be signs in a variety of languages to make it clear that no open fires are allowed. Fourth, Parks Victoria should close Toorourrong Reservoir Park when there is a total fire ban, just as other parks and picnic areas are regularly closed on fire ban days. Fifth, Parks Victoria must do more to ensure that CFA vehicles will have reliable access to the park when a fire does break out. This means better forest management to remove vegetation that is obstructing vehicle access tracks. It also means fixing the automatic electric gate at the entry to the park on Jacks Creek Road, which has malfunctioned several times, including one occasion when visitors were left trapped inside and lit a fire, fearing they would have to stay overnight. The CFA responded to a call about the fire but could not get access to the park through the malfunctioning gate and had great difficulty finding another way in. The CFA has been told that if the gate fails, trucks can go around on either side, but I have seen the gate, and that is not possible. Parks Victoria must take immediate action to ensure that the gate is fixed and that fire trucks have reliable access. These issues immediately affect the members of the Friends of Toorourrong – (Time expired)