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Page Last Updated:
Monday, 5 January 2009 |
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Home>Media Release - Council Expresses Concern Over VEAC Decisions
| Gannawarra Shire Council has expressed its concern over the Victorian Government’s decisions, announced yesterday, regarding the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) Proposals for River Red Gum Forests, believing that the decisions may result in the loss of the municipality’s timber industry which, directly and indirectly, is worth $9.9m per annum to the local community.
The announcement confirmed Council’s worst fears that the Brumby government would accept the bulk of the VEAC recommendations for public land use in a 1600 kilometre corridor of land along the Murray River in northern Victoria. The recommendations included the establishment of new National and State Parks in Gannawarra Shire, thereby considerably reducing the area of State Forest and the area of forest available for timber harvesting.
Council is most concerned that the reduction in timber harvest area will seriously impact on the availability of sawlogs for the mill operators located in Koondrook and Cohuna and will negatively impact on the timber industry. Council believes that this will have severe repercussions for the local economy through job losses and reduced social structure.
“The job losses in our municipality as a result of the government’s acceptance of the VEAC recommendations are potentially catastrophic, particularly in Koondrook and Cohuna,” said Gannawarra Shire Council’s Chief Executive Officer Rosanne Kava.
“According to the VEAC, implementation of its proposals could result in a reduction in employment of 82% in the timber industry – that’s a loss of approximately 42 across the Shire, of which 34 jobs could potentially be lost in Koondrook alone. And Council has access to other data that suggests that the impact on employment will be even greater with another 54 jobs at risk. That is an enormous burden on a small Shire and its hardworking community already hard hit by severe drought and the financial crisis.”
Council has been fighting against implementation of the VEAC proposals since July 2007, when the VEAC Draft Proposals Paper was first released. Council submitted two responses to the VEAC River Red Gum Forests Investigation Draft Proposals Paper.
One response was a Gannawarra Shire Council response. The other was a joint submission made by the Murray Group of Councils (MGC), which is made up of the Shire of Campaspe, Gannawarra Shire Council, Loddon Shire Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Moira Shire Council and Swan Hill Rural City Council. Between them, these councils are responsible for all the local government areas with direct links to the Victorian red gum forests along the Murray River.
Since then, Gannawarra Shire Council representatives have met with a number of government Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials in order to put the municipality’s case.
“All along we have been extremely concerned about the VEAC proposals and the impact they will have on our community, and we’ve expressed those concerns in no uncertain terms. We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the government to discuss our concerns regarding their announcements and the impacts on our Shire,” said Mayor Cr Keith den Houting.
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