State Government Should Fix Bellarine Railway Mess
Victoria’s fire season is only a few months away and the Labor Government has done nothing to ensure that the Bellarine Railway Reserve is ‘not a disaster waiting to happen’.
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur called on the Minister for Environment in Parliament to investigate the option of the state government cleaning up the vegetation on the reserve.
Mrs McArthur said, “The local area needs a solution and the government can provide it.”
“While the Bellarine Railway is the lessee of the land, ultimately the Bellarine Railway Reserve is owned by the State Government, and if they want it cleaned up using unrealistic methods, they ought to do it themselves and get on with it.”
“Otherwise, relax the conditions under which the Bellarine Railway are required to perform the clean-up and allow it to be done as soon as possible so that rail users, people exercising on the rail trail and farmers remain safe this fire season.”
“The conditions and procedure with which the Bellarine Railway are being required to clean up the vegetation by DELWP are reportedly incredibly onerous and debilitating.”
“An expert on fire risk prevention in the area informed me that under DELWP’s demands, it would take a team of 20 people working for an estimated 2 months straight to clean up the vegetation.”
Mrs McArthur recently visited the reserve, where she was told that the government “were demanding it to be done by hand without the use of machinery – this is obviously insane and lacking in any common sense.”
Mrs McArthur emphasised, “This is undoubtedly an extremely complex issue – with numerous views from a variety of stakeholders on how best to look after the area.”
“There is one thing that virtually all involved can agree on – that is that the vegetation on the reserve must be cleaned up.”
“It’s a safety issue because access along the rail trail must be available to all emergency services vehicles. Currently, that is impossible.”
Mrs McArthur said, “the Labor Government will have ash on their hands if they continue to do nothing about this issue.”
10 September 2021
