Are we our worst enemy?

While I totally deplore the policies of the greens (they have led to the utterly disgraceful condition of much of our public land in Victoria), I am filled with admiration for their perseverance, persistence and the dedication of their membership. They are aware that a few of us are planning to overturn their grip on Governments, the stranglehold that has held in their favour for the past twenty five years, but I don't think they are worrying overly much because they are aware of the apathy of so many outdoor recreations when it comes to standing up for the environment. Also, at the State election they can count on the support of all those couch potatoes that, back in 1992, forced the Government to form Wilderness Parks. They were individuals who, while not wanting to physically visit a wilderness, had a vicarious orgasmic experience just from knowing that wilderness exists.

A number of 4WD clubs have contacted me to tell me to take them off my email list as they are not interested in receiving any more information. Typical of these emails is one received today and I quote " . please don't send me any more info unless it concerns the 4WD club that means no election crap or road closures I will find out about them when I need to I'm getting sick of all unrelated emails coming in" end quote.

While I have been kicked out of the bush after an area was closed, not many of you have had that experience. It therefore sickens me that that club member cannot use the delete button to get rid of unwanted emails. That attitude reaches from the smallest to the largest club, from the north of the state to the south and causes me great worry.

To those who believe that simply telling 500,000 outdoor recreation groups and their supporters to vote as we advise, I give fair warning. Committed ALP and Liberal voters will not easily be persuaded to change their Legislative Council vote regardless of their recreation. Those voters who have previously given the Greens their vote because they felt there was no alternative will never vote for our cause until we explain that what we are fighting for is improved management of the Alps and other remote areas of the state.

In my almost twenty five years experience of working for the right to 4WD track access, the most persistent and consistent complaint of 4WD club members and their management committee's is we cannot show proof that tracks that were to close have been kept open. There is also an intermittent bleat that they cannot see any return for their affiliation fee. Think of it as insurance.

The combined committees of all outdoor recreations in Victoria will not equal even one half of a 60,000 vote quota on November 25th. On that date it will be up to the members of the outdoor recreations to let the Greens know what is what - or play indoor games.

I'm fair dinkum. I'm working for your track access through care of the environment. FRB, pest plants eradication and eradication of feral animals. Land managers must have tracks to do this work. Our recreations provide a watertight reason for tracks to be maintained - care of the environment.

Finally, at a meeting this week I heard a member of another recreation explaining that it will be impossible to get his members writing letters to politicians and newspapers so that our issues are still there on 25/11, still receiving media attention. Maybe we won't be the number one issue but lets try and keep our concerns on the radar.

There are none so blind as those that will not see!