Bellarine Fire Risk Fueled By Bureaucrats
The clearance of overgrown vegetation on the Bellarine Railway reserve is being obstructed by state government bureaucrats, causing landowners in Drysdale significant distress over the potential fire risk.
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur raised the issue in Parliament this week and called on the Environment Minister in Parliament to ensure that DELWP enter negotiations to allow the Geelong Steam Preservation Society (also known as the Bellarine Railway) to clear the vegetation.
In April this year, Bellarine Railway began clearing vegetation on the reserve to reinstate a fire access track that had become overgrown and impassable, to allow safe access for railway maintenance vehicles and emergency services vehicles.
They were halted by DELWP who alleged the clearance was unlawful, subsequently amended their exemption for vegetation clearance and have continued to ignore correspondence from the Bellarine Railway group.
Mrs McArthur said, “This situation has all the markers of an incompetent Labor government”
“An important tourism business is being stifled by government control, unable to restore the formerly scenic views from the train rides by removing the vegetation.”
“Bureaucrats are seemingly more concerned about saving vegetation than saving lives and property by mitigating the fire danger, and a volunteer organisation is being antagonised and ignored by a government department.”
“Bellarine Railway could have had all the vegetation removed and could have mulched it in a week, but the department stands in their way. Numerous landowners in the area are deeply concerned about the potential fire risk.”
Mrs McArthur called on the Minister to “ensure that DELWP immediately enters negotiations with Bellarine Railway over the removal of vegetation from the railway reserve, thereby ensuring this fire risk is immediately removed.”
10 December 2020