Council faces huge weed funding shortfall
By Tania Martin 6th May 2008
Star News Group http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/58145
THE Shire of Yarra Ranges has been left to foot a massive weeds bill after a new State Government land and management program was unveiled. Under the government’s new plan $20 million will be spent over the next four years on land and weed management.But for the council, the funding will be of little help. The funding equates to $5 million a year, which is to be split between the 79 councils across state, leaving Yarra Ranges with a $63,291 share to tackle the growing problem.
This latest deal follows a council call for an extra $1 million a year for weed management. But despite the council’s continual calls for help, the government has allocated very little for weeds.
The council was told last year that the state-wide provision for weeds did not allow for such a big allocation ($1m). Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox said although any money was welcome, $63,000 a year was nowhere near enough to fix the weed problem that plagues the shire.
Cr Cox said he doesn’t believe the government truly understands how serious the problem is. “All you have to do is drive through the shire and you can see that it’s a massive issue,” he said.
In the past 12 months the council has spent more than $500,000 of ratepayers’ money on tackling weeds. “That doesn’t include all the hard working community groups that do a lot of work to eradicate weeds,” Cr Cox said. He said that despite the council’s need to spend more on weeds, the cash would soon dry up. “I’m doubtful we could spend much more on it at this stage” Cr Cox said. “We are quite desperate for help from the government.”
Evelyn Liberal MP Christine Fyffe said this latest funding was a clear indication that Premier John Brumby was either ignorant of the weeds burden or shows that he doesn’t care. “Our Premier has no comprehension of the financial pressures facing councils. Ms Fyffe said although it was still not clear how much the Shire of Yarra Ranges would receive, it was clear that ratepayers would end up picking up the tab.
Ms Fyffe said the council has 3514 kilometres of roadside to manage and with just $100 a kilometre to manage weeds, the council would need at least $175,500 a year. “With rural communities doing it tough at the moment, the last thing ratepayers deserve – and Yarra Ranges needs – is to have to pick up the tab for another government cost-shift,” she said.
Federal Election 2007 Committment to Weeds
xx
ALP Latrobe Electorate Announcement 12/11/07
MEDIA RELEASE from Rodney Cocks the ALP candidate for Latrobe
LABOR’S $15.3 MILLION PLAN TO TACKLE WEEDS
A Rudd Labor Government will invest over $15 million into a new National Weeds Research and Productivity program aimed at directly tackling the impact of weeds on forestry and farm biodiversity.
Climate change is expected to favour invasive plants over established native vegetation, pastures and crops, especially if accompanied by an increase in drought as predicted by recent CSIRO and Australian Bureau of Meteorology studies.
Rodney Cocks the Labor Candidate for La Trobe said It is clear that the Howard Government has no national plan to tackle this issue, as they recently announced that the highly successful National Weeds CRC will be abolished in June 2008.
“As a result of Mr Howard's inaction, La Trobe will be left without an effective dedicated national research program for weeds.
“For the past 11 years, Mr Howard and the Liberal Government, have taken no action on this or any other environmental issue.
“It’s a bit hypocritical for the local Liberal Member to now start throwing money at the problem, right before an election.
“It is clear that the Liberal’s funding of environmental policies is only a ploy to try and win them the election, Mr Cocks said.
A Rudd Labor Government will invest $15 million over four years from unallocated departmental funds to:
? Establish a comprehensive national applied research program to investigate and solve the most serious invasive plant problems, including Wandering Trad, Bridal Creep, Ivy, etc.
? Bring together national experts, land managers and relevant stakeholders to develop improved understanding about the information required to effectively manage the risks associated with the most important invasive plants in forests, pastures and native vegetation.
? Ensure better coordination and information exchange between researchers, land managers and regulatory agencies for management of invasive species.
Labors plan will reduce the presence and impact of invasive plants on Australian agriculture, forestry and native vegetation and ensure greater integration of practical weed solutions forestry systems.
-ends-
ALP: National Campaign statement on weeds 6/11/08
Labor's $15.3 Million Plan To Tackle Weeds
Media Statement - 6th November 2007
Rudd Labor Government will invest $15 million in a new National
Weeds Research and Productivity program to reduce the impact of weeds on farm and forestry productivity and biodiversity.
A Rudd Labor Government will spend an additional $300,000 on a comprehensive Fireweed Research Project to test potential biological control agents for management of Fireweed and examine options to help reduce the financial impact on grazing industries and reduce impact on biodiversity.
Invasive plants cost Australia’s economy $4 billion annually, of which $2.8 billion is in the livestock industry.
Over 70 per cent of agricultural establishments are affected by weeds and on average Australian farmers lose 10 per cent of their production and millions of tonnes of water to weeds each year.
Climate change is expected to favour invasive plants over established native vegetation, pastures and crops, especially if accompanied by an increase in drought as predicted by recent CSIRO and Australian Bureau of Meteorology studies.
Yet the Howard Government recently announced that the highly successful National Weeds CRC will be abolished in June 2008.
As a result, Australia will be left without an effective dedicated national
research program for weeds.
A Rudd Labor Government will invest $15 million over four years from
unallocated departmental funds to:
Establish a comprehensive national applied research program to investigate and solve the most serious invasive plant problems across the most populated parts of Australia.
Bring together national experts, land managers and relevant stakeholders to develop improved understanding about the information required to effectively manage the risks associated with the most important invasive plants in forests, pastures and native vegetation.
Ensure better coordination and information exchange between researchers, land managers and regulatory agencies for management of invasive species.
Federal Labor’s plan will reduce the presence and impact of invasive plants on Australian agriculture, forestry and native vegetation and ensure greater integration of practical weed solutions within farming and forestry systems.
In addition to this national research program, Federal Labor will tackle
Fireweed - an introduced short-lived perennial weed found in both arable country and rangelands that competes strongly with pasture species and is toxic to livestock.
Fireweed can dominate pastures and is a major threat to livestock industry productivity in affected areas. It is responsible for illness, slow growth and poor conditioning of cattle and can result in death. It is spreading in the coastal and sub-coastal areas of New South Wales and southern Queensland.
A previous cross-jurisdictional government process determined there is a need for more testing of potential biological control agents of Fireweed.
A number of organisms can be found attacking Fireweed, but any effect they have is temporary and isolated:
Orange rust (Puccinia lagenophorae) is common and often affects Fireweed particularly in lower country.
Blue stem borer moth (Patagoniodes farinari) is common but the larvae usually develop too slowly to have an impact.
Two moths imported from Madagascar were host tested but they were found to feed on important non-target plants so no releases were made.
Other potential biological control agents have been identified, but rigorous testing is needed to ensure that they do not feed on closely related Australian native plants.
A Rudd Labor Government will invest $300,000 from unallocated funds within the Defeating the Weed Menace program to:
Conduct a comprehensive fireweed research project to conduct a risk analysis and further testing of biological control agents for management of Fireweed to help reduce the financial impact on grazing industries and reduce impact on biodiversity.
Work with industry and community groups to raise awareness about best practice management of Fireweed.
Undertake further assessment of Fireweed for consideration for inclusion on the Weeds of National Significance list.
Forgotten hills: Star News 6/11/07
Forgotten hills
http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/50899
By Paul Pickering
6th November 2007 02:01:42 AM
HILLS environmentalists say they have walked away empty-handed from last Friday’s public morning tea with Labor environment spokesman Peter Garrett at Upwey’s Burrinja cultural centre.
Mr Garrett’s appearance added undeniable star-power to ALP candidate Rodney Cocks’ pitch for the vital green vote in the marginal seat of La Trobe.
But, for many, the dialogue from Mr Cocks and Mr Garrett ignored the specific concerns of the local community in favour of national issues such as protecting the Great Barrier Reef and the importance of ratifying the Kyoto protocol.
Chief among those local concerns is the need to address the environmental weed scourge in the Dandenongs.
While many had expected that Friday’s event would have been the ideal opportunity to unveil a vote-winning commitment to the weed battle, neither speaker mentioned the issue while addressing the audience for some 20 minutes.
When pressed about the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ request for $10 million worth of federal funding over five years to combat invasive weeds such as English ivy, Mr Garrett could only point to an impending announcement.
“We will have a policy to address that question in an amplified form on the way to the election,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Cocks said he was “still working out the details in terms of what shape it (the policy) will take”.
Having confronted Mr Garrett and Mr Cocks during the allocated question time, Upper Yarra and Dandenong Ranges Environment Council member Darcy Duggan said he was disappointed with Mr Cocks’ failure to act on the most significant threat to the local environment.
“It’s all very well to talk about protecting the Great Barrier Reef, but there needs to be some acknowledgment of what affects the local area,” Mr Duggan said.
“This was the perfect opportunity to address the needs of the community – and he lost it by ignoring the elephant in the room.”
Shire of Yarra Ranges deputy mayor Samantha Dunn also admitted to being disappointed that Labor had missed an opportunity to make some local announcements.
Mr Cocks, however, was keen to note that Mr Garrett’s appearance dictated that national policy would dominate the discussion.
“Peter’s presentation was national (in focus) and a lot of issues were discussed. That was the point of having Peter there,” he said.
But La Trobe’s incumbent Liberal MP Jason Wood was quick to take the opportunity to question Labor’s commitment to the hills landscape.
“We’ve now had Kevin Rudd come to the electorate twice and we’ve had the potential environment minister come to La Trobe and on all three occasions there’s been nothing promised to the local area,” Mr Wood said.
“If they’re not doing it during the election, the residents must be concerned about what they’ll do if they get into power.”
While Mr Wood pointed to his recent announcement of funding to develop controls for an aggressive weed called wandering trad, he could not make any commitment to the shire’s long-term weed eradication plan – only saying that he was “desperately fighting to get an announcement”.
Labor pulls up hills weed plan: Star News 13/11/07
Labor pulls up hills weed plan
13th November 2007 02:01:25 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LA TROBE ALP candidate Rodney Cocks last week unveiled his party’s plan to tackle the weed invasion in the Dandenong Ranges, announcing that the hills would be targeted by Labor’s National Weeds Research and Productivity program.
Mr Cocks said the policy was aimed at addressing the impact of weeds on forestry and farm biodiversity by establishing a national applied research program into invasive weeds such as wandering trad, bridal creep and ivy.
But the four-year, $15.3 million program has fallen short of the expectations of the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
While mayor Tim Heenan welcomed the funding announcement, saying he was pleased that both major parties have acknowledged that weeds were a significant environmental issue, he questioned the impact the national policy would have on the Dandenongs.
“We want to know from both parties, ‘what’s in it for the Yarra Ranges?,” Cr Heenan said.
“The spread of weeds throughout areas such as the Dandenongs is already extensive and drastic action needs to be undertaken now.
“It is the council’s belief that $10 million needs to be spent in the Yarra Ranges over the next five years to fund weed-removal and control measures.
“Otherwise, we will lose the war on weeds.”
Poll war on weeds: Star News 20/11/07
Poll war on weeds
20th November 2007 02:00:49 AM
INCUMBENT La Trobe MP Jason Wood has made an 11th-hour pitch for the green vote in the hills, pledging a re-election commitment of $3 million to bolster the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ battle against invasive weeds.
The fight against weeds has emerged as a key issue for residents in the north of the electorate, with local environmentalists reporting that the iconic landscape of the Dandenong Ranges is being strangled by species such ivy, onion weed, wandering trad and ragwort.
The Liberal Party’s national funding announcement of $30 million over four years is almost double the commitment made by the ALP the previous week, yet the Shire of Yarra Ranges and local environmentalists say they are only interested in funding allocated specifically to the region.
In a bid to lock-in funding from all three tiers of government, Mr Wood said the $3 million three-year pledge was subject to contributions of $1.5 million from the shire and State Government over the same period.
La Trobe Greens candidate Bree Taylor, however, said Mr Wood’s announcement was “too conditional, too little, too late”.
“If the Liberals were serious about addressing weeds, this funding would be unconditional and would have applied three years ago,” she said.
La Trobe ALP candidate Rodney Cocks was asked to respond to Mr Wood’s pledge but he declined to comment.
Star News: Research to hit wandering weed 1/11/07
Research to hit wandering weed
http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/50649
By Paul Pickering
1st November 2007 09:51:19 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRUSTRATED hills environmentalists rejoiced last week at the announcement of a new research project aimed at eradicating an invasive weed that has emerged to threaten the landscape.
The allocation of $456,000 towards developing a battle plan to fight the aggressive wandering trad weed was rubber-stamped by Federal Minister for Environment and Water Resources Malcolm Turnbull on Monday 22 October.
Wandering trad is a fast-growing succulent creeping plant that develops dense mats that smother the ground and prevent natural regeneration of native shrubs and trees.
Particularly rife by the creeks in Belgrave and Selby, wandering trad is also a known cause of allergies for household pets.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood, who has joined local environmental groups in regular weed-pulling sessions throughout the hills, said the funding would go towards ecological studies - conducted by the University of Melbourne - and early development stages of a possible biological control mechanism.
“The weed threatens to engulf substantial areas of the beautiful forest gullies and streams in the Dandenong Ranges,” Mr Wood explained.
“Two nationally endangered Australian native plants are particularly vulnerable to wandering trad so controlling this insidious weed will assist threatened species conservation.”
Mr Wood said that he is also urging the State Government to officially recognise wandering trad as an environmental weed which would mean that it could not be sold at nurseries.
While Shire of Yarra Ranges mayor Tim Heenan applauded the funding.
He said the shire was still seeking an election commitment of $10 million over five years to combat rampant ivy and other environmental weeds.
“We do believe there are far more serious concerns around weeds, such as the need to eradicate English ivy, which has spread widely in many forests and roadside reserves,” Cr Heenan said.
Mr Wood said that he was also keen to secure further funding for the battle against weeds in the Dandenong Ranges.
Promised Cash at Risk: Leader News 12 Feb 08
Promised cash at risk
http://www.leadernews.com.au/article/2008/02/12/29399_fpv_news.html
Zoe Lewis, 12Feb08
Gordon Richardson president of the Sherbrooke Art Society says the gallery needs cash to repair it's Belgrave building.
VITAL funding for two hills projects remains in limbo following the Rudd Government coming to power.
Despite La Trobe Liberal MP Jason Wood clinging to his seat, the changing of the government guard has meant some funding promises may now be broken.
And these include money for noxious weeds control and for desperately needed refurbishment of a Belgrave art gallery.
The Sherbrooke Art Society had applied for a $200,000 federal grant to refurbish its heritage-listed building, which has dry rot and other problems.
Mr Wood said last week he had ``heard via the grapevine'' that the society's application for $200,000 funding had been knocked back. ``They can re-submit their application but I can't see much love coming from this government,'' Mr Wood said.
But Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government spokesman Thomas Parkes said the society's federal grant was still under consideration and he ``wouldn't guess'' at a time frame for a decision.
He said the grant was applied for under the Regional Partnerships scheme, which was one of many programs being reviewed by the Rudd Government.
Society president Gordon Richardson said without federal funding, the society would only just be able to cover the cost of refurbishing the building. He said he was ``pessimistic'' about the federal funding coming through.
In October last year, Mr Wood announced $456,000 in funding to develop controls for the noxious weed, wandering trad.
But last week, he said he believed the funding was in danger of being scrapped.
A Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts spokeswoman confirmed the issue needed to be considered by the new minister and a decision was likely to be made by May.
Do you think the new government should fund these projects? Email us at
freepress@leadernewspapers.com.au.