Today’s announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews that the native timber industry in Victoria will be shut down by 2030 will decimate the East Gippsland economy, said Nationals Gippsland East MP, Tim Bull. “Our communities have had an absolute gutful of arrogant Andrews putting politics first and country people second. Instead of supporting and promoting…
Plans to expand irrigation in Central Gippsland along the Latrobe River and Macalister Irrigation District have been taken directly to State Parliament. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien has asked the Minister for Water, Lisa Neville in Parliament to develop plans to allocate unused water in the Latrobe River system to irrigation.…
The expansion of Lake Buffalo in north-east Victoria and its possible connection via a pipeline to Lake Nillahcootie should be referred to the Commonwealth Government’s new national water authority for investigation. Shadow Minister for Water Steph Ryan is also calling on the Victorian Government to reverse its panicked and unsupported ‘no dams’ policy. The Victorian…
Regional communities will expect the new Commissioner to be frank and fearless with his advice to the Andrews Government. Labor may have put him on the payroll but at the end of the day it’s taxpayers’ dollars and Mr Tuohey’s job is to stand up for our regional communities. Labor’s arrogant neglect of regional Victoria…
Farmers in north-east Victoria had the opportunity to have their say on the impact of farm invasion when the parliamentary inquiry to fix farm trespass laws visited Wangaratta yesterday. The inquiry heard from farmers who have serious concerns for the safety of their family and livestock and detailed the emotional and economic toll of…
Daniel Andrews is ignoring the enormous stress fixed water charges are placing on irrigators within the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID). Farmers have been calling for assistance on fixed water charges or direct relief on council rates for more than 12 months, but the State Government’s drought assistance package doesn’t deliver either. Farmers are paying thousands…
The Andrews Government has cruelled farmers trying to manage kangaroo numbers by making the state’s kangaroo pet food program unworkable, Member for Euroa Steph Ryan says. Kangaroos controlled under an Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) permit can no longer be processed for pet food under the Andrews Labor Government’s changes. “Removing kangaroos culled under a…
After five years as Premier, Daniel Andrews has finally made it to East Gippsland, but unfortunately only dropped in for an hour in what was clearly a box ticking visit, to make an underwhelming drought announcement before flying to Mildura. “With the current drought package coming to a conclusion, farmers have been waiting for…
Daniel Andrews has today repeated his Water Minister’s folly saying there’s no point in building dams when it’s not raining. On Melbourne radio this morning the Premier dismissed calls for the state government to look at building dams as “spurious debates” stating “dams don’t make it rain”. Labor has sat on its hands for five…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien said today’s announcement of additional drought support for Wellington and East Gippsland farmers was underwhelming. Mr O’Brien said that it was a disappointment that at last the Premier had visited, more than 12 months after his government had acknowledged drought in the region, but he still…
The Victorian Nationals have taken a strong stand on behalf of local irrigators at The Nationals’ Federal Council in Canberra today, fighting to protect them from further water loss. The Nationals’ Federal Council also passed a motion put forward by Victorian Shadow Water Minister Steph Ryan calling for 300GL of environment water to be traded…
The Andrews Labor Government again failed to explain how they will fix and finish the botched Murray Basin Rail Project. Despite finding billions to put into level crossing cost blowouts in Melbourne, Daniel Andrews is refusing to say how Labor will fix its mess. The Premier was asked in State Parliament today to explain why…