The meat in this sandwich ..

The focus of this campaign has to be the protection of forest values. Once that is achieved, all recreation needs will be catered for. The Memorandum of Cooperation that 4WD Victoria has with both Parks Vic and the DSE will become meaningful when we have lobbied for, and received, better environmental outcomes from the Minister for Conservation.

There can be no expectation of public recognition of our recreation needs while we ignore the fact that it is people in 4WD vehicles that access our remote areas and witness the environmental damage that has been wreaked by a lack of good management over the past twenty five years. We don't make a fuss, we don't complain, we just accept the damage that the past 25 years of non management has given us.

It is not the fault of the land Managers that are based in the bush!

No one can do a good job managing our high and remote areas while Governments over the past twenty five years have either failed to provide funds for people to carry out FRB, pest plant eradication and the elimination of feral animals OR has allowed the focus of land management to be taken away from hands on work.

The proof of my statement can be seen, using the Governments own National Parks Act 2005 Annual Report which states that the number of administration staff is 625. In the bush, there are 396 workers. In discussions with them, they complain that their outdoors work is reduced by the demands of the managers in Nicholson Street who have papers to shuffle, meetings to attend and statistics to compile.

1. Why do the administration staff outnumber the field staff by 45%?

2. How many meetings are required to start eradicating pest plants?

3. Why is the administration of National and other Parks based in Melbourne where there are no problems with pest plants and feral animals?

4. Why is it that, when I send a letter of complaint to Minister Thwaites, his reply is that of the Regional Director, Gippsland, based in Traralgon?

5. If Traralgon is where his reply is handled, why doesn't this Government shift the whole Department there?

So, when I start blasting off about very bad land management, remember that it is not the outdoors staff that are causing the problem. Yes, the administration is excessive but the main focus has to be upon the Minister and, subsequently upon the ALP Country Caucus.

Fair dinkum, I know some of these Country Caucus. Really they are not bad people but pressure is put on them by a Minister who is the greatest vandal where land management is concerned. Unfortunately, they have to follow a party line which is dictated by the vandals of the Green movement, even when that means the destruction of the high country environment.

Let me be quite specific. The Greens are responsible for the environmental degredation of the Victorian Alps because they do not believe in 'hands on' work. In this they are aided and abetted by the Minister for Conservation, who, following in the footsteps of all Ministers for the Environment since 1982 is engaged in cost savings. Yes, I can prove that too. See my previous blog comparing the 1983 National Parks Annual Report with 2005.

Do not blame the bush based land Managers!