Brown Mountain was assessed and listed as an old growth National Estate area by the Commonwealth Heritage Commission in the 1980s. That means it has the same values as a National Park. The management of these areas were handed to the state government which promptly set about clearfelling them in 1989. The protests on Brown …
In 2006, the then premier, Steve Bracks, made a promise to protect all significant stands of old growth currently available for logging. This, with several other areas called icon forests amounted to about 41,000 ha. However, he also promised there would be no impact on the logging industry – an impossible undertaking. A few days …
A report card on the Brumby Government’s progress of its environmental promises was released in early December 2007. It shows they can put a lot more effort into their work. Half of the Victorian Government’s environmental promises before the 2006 election have been broken or are at risk of being broken. The analysis is backed …
The push by farmers to have poison baits dropped from planes to kill wild dogs and dingoes has been successful. A three-stage government trial is currently going on and so far it has only shown that planes can drop baits accurately. But ‘can’ does not mean ‘will’. A senior scientist at the Arthur Rylah Research …
The new Victorian Association of Forest Industries’ head is Philip Dalidakis. He’s not a Trish Caswell style environmentalist turned logging lobbyist, but was senior advisor to State Minister for Major Projects, Industry and Trade, Theo Theophanos, until taking this position in November. Interesting to keep in mind that Theophanos is a huge fan of burning …
Can you believe this?! Victoria is the most ecologically damaged state in Australia but the Brumby Government recently reduced protection for remnant native vegetation on railway reserves. It’s our railway reserves that are chocka-block with the rare vegetation types from pre settlement days. They haven’t been grazed or ploughed. They get the odd burn, which …
Mr Brumby has dusted down the old Industry Transition Taskforce to go about chatting with the logging industry about how to protect 41,000ha (as promised last State election) while not reducing the net log resource or losing any jobs in East Gippsland. Hmmm. (they don’t want to talk to environmentalists by the way) The force …
The Brumby Government is planning to amend Freedom Of Information (FOI) laws to make it easier to get information from government agencies. The Bill will be decided on in the New Year but doesn’t have to be effective until July 2009. It has it’s good and bad sides. Good:the removal of FOI application fee of …
Premier John Brumby recently rejected draft recommendations by the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) to flood the Murray with billions of litres of water to save the majestic River Red Gums. According to a leaked copy of the most comprehensive analysis of Murray River Red Gums undertaken, 54% of the forest is in a “deteriorating …
With the drought hitting irrigators on the Murray side of the range, and Snowy Hydro finding it doesn’t have enough water to generate the power it wants, Politicians are reneging on their legal promise to restore some water to the gasping Snowy River. We’ve always known politicians’ promises don’t count for much, but now they …
