WEED MANAGEMENT MONEY STILL NEEDED: HALL

Eastern Victoria MP Peter Hall is pushing the State Government to renew funding for a weed education officer in the Wellington Shire.

Mr Hall raised the issue in Parliament this week, concerned because funding for the position ended in June this year.

Mr Hall believes that with the recent floods and other factors, weed control is still a major issue for Wellington Shire and other parts of Gippsland and more, not less, should be done.

The Nationals’ Energy and Resources spokesman said the issue had been raised by the Maffra and Districts Landcare Network, which expressed concern at the loss of state government funding through the Tackling Weeds on Private Land initiative, a local government weed management grants program.

“As I understand from the letter received from the Landcare network, Wellington shire received funding for this particular position, a part-time weed education officer within the shire, but it expired in June 2007,” Mr Hall said.

“The loss of the funding has placed pressure on Wellington shire and our local Landcare networks to provide this ongoing services. The Wellington shire has been prepared to contribute $35,000 towards pests, plant and animal control projects in their local area each year (and) the Landcare network has made a request of me to at least see some matching funding provided by the state government.”

Some of the activities undertaken as part of the funded program over the last two years included;

Coordinating and improving the Weeds For Trees Program, a program which offers free herbicide to control weeds on shire roadsides and revegetation with native trees.
Liaison with local nurseries regarding responsible plant selection and raising their awareness of plants prohibited for sale.

In partnership with Latrobe City and East Gippsland Shire, producing the Grow Me Instead Booklets which provides information on common garden escapees and non-invasive alternatives for gardens.

Initiating a Weed Mapping system and the purchase of new equipment that will allow the community and Shire staff to collect information on roadside weeds.

Providing advice to Landcare Groups and members and the general community about weed identification and control by attending Landcare meetings, participating in field days and attending to enquiries; and

Discussion with Shire on ground works leaders about Best Practice Weed Management and responsibilities of contractors.

Mr Hall said: “Suffice to say that throughout Wellington shire, like many other rural shires, the issue of weeds is a very important one. In view of the fact that weeds are an important issue, particularly in a large rural shire like Wellington which has experienced floods in the last 12 months, which exacerbates the spread of weed problems, I think it is a more than reasonable request that the state government again contribute to funding an education officer.”

Mr Hall said he would continue to pursue the matter with the State Government.

BE WARY AROUND WATER: HALL

With summer just around the corner and the lure of the beach and pool increasing, Eastern Victoria MP Peter Hall is urging all people to take care around the water.

He was speaking after the release of the 2007 Victorian Drowning Summary, which showed that in the 12 months to June 2007 the number of deaths by drowning in the State was 37.

“This was the lowest number on record and Victoria also has the lowest rate of any State in Australia, but of course 37 deaths by drowning are still too many,” Mr Hall said.

“It is timely to think about safety around the water, especially in a place like Gippsland with its long coastlines and numerous beaches and as we look forward to lots of visitors for summer.”

Mr Hall said there were some fairly simple steps to take to reduce the number of drownings, although those steps can vary depending on age groups.

“For example while there has been an overall decrease in the number of toddler deaths, there was a jump in the number of home pool drownings in the last 12 months. A key factor was the maintenance of fences and gates around pools. Some simple work to ensure fences are in good condition and gate latches are working will help with that.”

Mr Hall said with young adults, that is the 15 to 24 age group, males were generally more at risk. In the past six years, most deaths occur in open waterways such as at the beach or in rivers.

“Very often deaths in this age occur when people are under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, when young men in particular tend to place themselves in high risk situations. It indicates the need to be sensible when around water.”

The figures for the 25 to 34 age group showed similar problems with alcohol or illicit drugs, although more people in this age group died while taking part in activities such as boating, diving or skin-diving, and in some instances rock fishing.

Mr Hall said the other thing all people could do was to undertake some basic training in first aid so as to be prepared in the case of a near drowning incident.

“As well as keeping close watch on their children, it is useful for parents and older children to learn resuscitation,” he said.

“There are also Junior Lifeguard Club activities that provide an alternative to swimming lessons for eight to 15 year olds.”

Mr Hall said the main message was to be safe and vigilant around the water, whether in the back yard at home or at the beach or other open waterways.

“The aim is to have no deaths by drowning and that is a whole of community responsibility,” he said.

War Memorial Funding Open

Funds will be available soon to enhance and preserve local war memorials and honour boards across Gippsland.

Eastern Victoria MP, Peter Hall, is encouraging local communities and organisations to apply for the funds under the Restoring Community War Memorials Grants Program, which is now open.

“War memorials are an intrinsic part of most communities and recognise the sacrifices made by Australians in war, sacrifices that should always be remembered,” Mr Hall said.

“This is an opportunity to restore and maintain those memorials and I hope many Gippsland groups put their hand up for a grant before the closing date for applications Friday, February 8, 2008.”

One-off grants of up to $10,000 plus GST are available under the program.

Applications can be made by any Victorian ex-service organisation, local council, school or community organisation, provided that:

• Applicants are based in Victoria and projects are funded for the benefit of Victorians

• The memorial or honour roll is on publicly accessible land

• The applicant is an incorporated organisation, OR is applying in partnership with an incorporated organisation which has agreed to manage the project funds

• There are non-government resources contributing to the project, either financial or in-kind support.

Examples of the type of projects that will be considered for funding include repairs to broken statues that form part of a memorial, repairs to barriers and fences that surround and protect a memorial, the rectification of sinking foundations, re-lettering of honour rolls, the installation of additional plaques on existing memorials or additional names on existing honour rolls, the installation of explanatory walls (a written explanation that provides historical context about the memorial and its place in the community), the installation of memorial lighting at the commemorative site and landscaping including the installation of seating and paving and the planting of trees around the commemorative site.

“There are other activities that can be funded, so I would urge interested groups to seek information and hopefully gain the funding support,” Mr Hall said.

A copy of the application form can be downloaded at www.veterans.vic.gov.au or by phoning Information Victoria on 1300 366356.

GOVERNMENT REFUSES TRARALGON BY-PASS INFORMATION

The State Government is refusing to divulge any information regarding an inquiry into the plans for a by-pass of Traralgon.

East Victorian MP Peter Hall raised the matter in Parliament early last month – some three months after the inquiry report was due to be released – but has just been told by the Planning Minister in a letter dated 31 October, that there is still no news on the by-pass route.

“It is becoming ridiculous and is causing uncertainty in the development of the largest population centre in Gippsland,” Mr Hall said. “What people want to know is the route of the by-pass, so they can plan appropriately for the future.

“Surely that is not that much of an ask, especially since the report by the Traralgon by-pass supplementary inquiry was apparently completed some five months ago.”

Morwell MLA, Russell Northe, pointed out that the inquiry early this year was a supplementary inquiry, which indicated that there had been at least two such inquiries so far.

“People locally want to know what the future holds for the area so they can make business and personal decisions about development, including housing, which is becoming a bigger issue with each month that passes,” Mr Northe said.

Mr Hall said the inquiry established earlier this year was to take a further look at the decision on the route chosen by the original advisory committee inquiry in 2004. The focus of the supplementary inquiry was on the proposed Princes Highway bypass route on the western side of Traralgon.

Mr Northe has a letter in which the previous Premier, Mr Bracks, states that the committee report was due for completion in the first week of July.

However, when Mr Hall raised the matter in Parliament in October, the Planning Minister Justin Madden had little knowledge of what was happening.

In the letter to Mr Hall following his question in Parliament, the Minister refused to make any comment. “The Government is not in a position to comment on the content or release of the report, or any likely outcomes,” the Minister said.

Mr Hall reiterated that it was an important matter for the future development of the City of Latrobe and in particular for the corridor between Traralgon and Morwell.

“The Government does not seem to think this is important, but it clearly is to the people of the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland,” he said.

“The report has been done, the supplementary inquiry has been held under the leadership of the former member for Morwell, Keith Hamilton – there seems no good reason to delay in the announcement.

“Mr Northe and I will keep after the Minister to provide the information.”

CARDINIA SHIRE MISSING OUT ON RURAL FUNDING

Large parts of the Cardinia Shire are missing out on funding opportunities because the whole of the municipally is classified as metropolitan, according to the Nationals.

Eastern Victoria MP, The Nationals’ Peter Hall, said the Shire was missing out on opportunities for better funding arrangements in areas as diverse as roads and kindergartens, despite the fact that most of the Shire was rural in nature.

Following a meeting in Pakenham with the Cardinia Shire Council, Mr Hall has called in Parliament for the Premier to look closely into the issue.

“Cardinia is at the rural-urban interface, and certainly one could argue it is part metropolitan, but I think equally any reasonable person visiting the shire would regard a significant component of it to be rural in its nature,” Mr Hall said. “Yet for the purpose of a good number of government funding programs it is classified as totally metropolitan.”

Mr Hall said the Council itself made a good argument that about 30 per cent of the shire could be classified as metropolitan, that is the growth corridor which extends largely along the Princes Highway as far as Pakenham.

“But that the other 70 per cent is rural. For example, if you look at places like Bunyip, Nar Nar Goon, Cockatoo, Lang Lang and Koo Wee Rup, it is clear that they are very much rural in their nature,” Mr Hall added.

A major disadvantage of this is in regard to road funding.

“As a metropolitan municipality it has to compete with the large metropolitan municipalities and compete against major Melbourne arterial roads for funding, and therefore it does not do as well out of road funding.

“Because it is (classified) a metropolitan shire, it is required to contribute funds on a one-to-one basis for project funding from the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund, whereas if it were classified as a rural municipality, that ratio would be two parts government contribution and one part local council contribution.”

Kindergarten funding is another major issue for the shire, Mr Hall said.

“There are a number of kindergartens in the shire that are now in jeopardy of being classified as metropolitan and of receiving far less funding. The kindergartens in Lang Lang and Koo Wee Rup in particular this year have had to go through a fight to obtain sufficient funding to enable them to continue to run a program. They are not big places, and they are not big kindergartens with big numbers.”

Mr Hall concluded that the answer is to redefine the urban growth boundary so it just takes in part of the municipality and not the whole of it, so that it can access rural programs for those areas that are truly rural.

“I ask the Premier to look closely into this matter and to consider those views.”

CREATIVE SOLUTION TO COUNTRY DENTAL SHORTAGE

CREATIVE SOLUTION TO COUNTRY DENTAL SHORTAGE

The State Government needs to be more creative in making dental services available to country Victorians, according to The Nationals.

Eastern Victoria MP, Peter Hall, this week put forward a proposal based on the medical patient transport assistance scheme, whereby travel vouchers could be provided to people who needed to go to Melbourne for quicker treatment.

Mr Hall raised the matter in Parliament after a constituent who was facing a 12 week wait for dental treatment in the Latrobe Valley was able to access a Melbourne appointment in about two weeks.

“When I was talking to a constituent who phoned my office last week, she suggested that within a matter of weeks she could get an appointment if she travelled to Melbourne to consult a dentist. She checked it out and found that she could get an appointment within two weeks compared to almost a 12 week delay in Traralgon.

“It occurred to me that the government could be a bit more creative in resolving this problem for country people by offering a scheme similar to the patient transport assistance scheme, whereby country people are given some reimbursement if they are required to travel to Melbourne to attend a specialist’s clinic.”

Mr Hall said it would be a simple procedure for the Government to issue, for example, a public transport travel voucher to enable travel to Melbourne for people in dire need of dental work.

He called on the Health Minister to consider the idea and act on it quickly.

“There may be other ways to address this problem, but that is one suggestion I put forward to the government for consideration and comment.”

Mr Hall said the delay in dental services was chronic in many country areas.

He gave another example of a constituent who had rung 22 dental practices across the Gippsland region.

“I am not talking about public dental practices; I am talking about both public and private dental practices. She rang 22 and could not get an appointment until January of next year.”

Mr Hall had raised the issue earlier with the Health Minister, writing to him in September on behalf of a constituent who could not get an appointment until February next year.

“The government has said it is trying to do some things to address this problem, but there is no short term solution to getting more dentists to country Victoria,” Mr Hall said. “What I am suggesting could ease the problem and provide some sort of solution for country people.”

TAMBORITHA ROAD REPAIR URGENT

Every effort must be made to expedite the repair of the Tamboritha Road to assist in Gippsland’s economic recovery following a year of fire and flood, according to Eastern Victoria MP, Peter Hall.

Mr Hall has called on the State Government to make the Tamboritha Road repair a high priority, as there are fears it could be closed for up to another 12 months after it was severely damaged in the mid-year floods.

“One of the townships which was most severely affected was Licola, where roads and bridges were washed out, much private property was lost and significant and serious environmental damage occurred,” Mr Hall told Parliament this week.

“The Licola-Heyfield area desperately needs visitors to return to assist the economic recovery, so as a matter of urgency I call on the government to expedite the repair of the Tamboritha Road so that Victorians can again experience the beauty of our high country, and the local community can be boosted by the return of visitors to the area,” Mr Hall said in Parliament this week.

Mr Hall pointed out it is an access road to some of the high country's most popular areas of natural beauty, including Moroka Gorge, Lake Tali Karng and Bryce's Gorge.

Outside Parliament he noted that while some alternate access could be made to these areas, there was a number of businesses that relied on travellers along the Tamboritha Road that may not be able to survive a prolonged repair effort.

“Quite clearly the local community and the Wellington Shire Council believe this is the highest priority.

“I know they would like to see some interim access along Tamboritha Road by Christmas if possible or by the Easter next year if possible.

“Some quite remarkable work has been done on the Licola Road, but I would urge the Government finish the job and move as quickly as possible on the Tamboritha Road,” Mr Hall said.