O and K gets the okay for grand final switch

DPI Staff need your urgent support

The Dept of Primary Industries is undergoing a restructure. This will affect our Landcare groups, the Weed committee, and services to rural people in the following ways.

the Whitfield Catchment Officer, Brian Spencer, will lose his position at Whitfield, along with several others at Beechworth, Corryong, Ovens and Euroa in the North East. Mansfield is to be retained along with Wangaratta, Wodonga and Tallangatta.

assistance with postage to Landcare groups is to be withdrawn.

The Weed Committee executive has contacted Bill Sykes M.P. and all local politicians to seek their support in finding out....

What is to happen to employees who have lost their jobs?

What is to replace the present compliance role performed by the CMO's?

The DPI has since postponed action for two weeks.
Refer article in Border Mail and this week's Weekly Times ["DPI Jobs Chopped"] for Bill Sykes's comments.

To flesh out what exactly is being proposed a Pest Plant and Pest Animal Forum has been organised by the Ovens Landcare Network for the 19th July at the Whorouly Community Complex at 7:30pm . Officers involved in the proposed restructure will be present and the Weed Committee and other groups will make presentations of their concerns.

We are hoping for a good roll up to at least have a say in this proposed erosion to rural services.

Bob Falconer [Sec. Weed Action Committee] falconer@netc.net.au

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Associated Article: Landscape Protection - Regional Restructure & Redundancies

Sophie P Defends Our Borders and Welcomes Asylum Seekers

Chronicle Editorial: What can you contribute to our Council?

In Friday's Chronicle Editorial (8 July 2005), the question was raided, "What can you contribute to our Council?". The editor was surprised that there is no excitement yet leading up to the November elections. You can read his editorial on the Watchdog Forums front page. Here is a response letter I have sent to the Chronicle.

In your editorial of 8 July 2005, you asked, "Has apathy replaced excitement as the key element in the outcome of the next round of local government elections?". I don't think so!

You then asked, "Is it apathy - or indeed is it a sign that ratepayers generally have been happy with their current Ovens Street representatives." I dont think so!

I am one of those who is, "... motivated by a feeling that they have something to contribute in terms of making our city a better place for all". However, I have concluded that it would be futile for me to stand for election in November.

First, I have a social conscience. I am more concerned about the loss of grass roots democracy than I am about the controls the state government is imposing on councils. With the confidentiality rules that already apply, I would be fined $10,000 - banished from office for six years - and would probably end up in jail because I would refuse to be gagged.

Secondly, I would work to represent the rural communities. With the abolition of wards, I would have to represent all of the people in the municipality ... and what would a country boy know about that city lifestyle? Then again, what would those city folk know about the needs of their country neighbours?

And finally, I would probably not get elected because of the proportional voting system being applied this time around. Whilst a ward councillor may well be recognised throughout his ward, it is unlikely that any new rural candidate has a high enough profile to be recognised throughout the municipality to get the quota required for election.

I believe the reason that there is little excitement in the November elections is a sense of futility and confusion rather than apathy or complacence. I guess I will remain an "... element of discontent with the workings of the incumbent council, but that comes with the territory."

Those interested in forming a Rural Ratepayers group are urged to contact the writer by email at gnaylor@bordernet.com.au or by visiting the Watchdog Forums at http://forums.farvista.net.

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The Chronicle editorial can be read on the Watchdog Forums home page.

DPI/DSE staff sackings in the North East

We are advised by our State member, Bill Sykes, says that the Bracks’ Government is re-thinking its savage cut back of DPI weed control staff. He says, “Local Landcare and Weed Action Group members’ strong support for front line DPI weed control staff who faced sacking, has caused the Bracks’ Government to re-think its decision.

Current proposals by DPI/DSE include the loss of front line positions at Ovens, Whitfield, Benalla and Euroa. which will threaten excellent local cooperative control programs for Patterson’s Curse, blackberries and pest animals.

The Whitfield Moyhu Weed Action Group, Warby Range Landcare and Rabbit Control Group and Bonnie Doon Community Group are amongst the groups who are extremely agitated by the Government walking away from successful cooperative programs. The government's alternative is to outsource the compliance component of the sacked DPI/DSE operatives with two overseeing staff members based at Wangaratta.

What becomes of the existing programs? More importantly, what about the human cost and the local knowledge. These DPI/DSE staff are career people who have spent their whole working life in this environment. Throwing them on the scrapheap in these small rural communities is not acceptable. Whilst the government learned the importance of local knowledge with the 2003 bushfires and modified the CFA culture accordingly, they seem to have forgotten that lesson with this proposal.

Bill Sykes points out that, “Only a few weeks ago Mr Thwaites proudly announced the retention of two wild dog management positions in North East Victoria. He then follows with the decision to sack at least 13 weed and pest animal field staff and relocate many others to more central locations.

A public meeting to discuss the effect of this decision will be held at the Whorouly Hall on Tuesday, 19th July. Representatives of the various community weed control groups and DPI/DSE staff will be there. You should be there too!

Can 900 Farmers Feed Australia?

With globalisation and free trade agreements, it is becoming obvious that Australia's industry simply cannot compete with the rest of the world. This is not just in agriculture, it is accross the board.

Take a look around you right now. Just see if you can identify anything that is Australian made. All of our electrical and electronic appliances are imported, as are our knives and forks, dinner plates, the clothes we wear and just about everything else we own. Why should food be any different?

The fact that frozen vegetables can be imported from Belgium and New Zealand cheaper than they can be grown here shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with Australian horticulture. Even with the added cost of shipping to Australia, our supermarkets can make more money by selling imported food products than they can by selling Australian grown food. We may decry that as being un-Australian but it is only possible because Australians are more interested in the price than they are in the origin of the product.

We have just seen Tasmanian potato growers lose half their contract to McDonalds and lowering their price to retain the other half of the contract. This inevitably means that many vegetable farms accross Australia will become unprofitable. As reported on ABC News (30 June 2005), the vegetable growers association, "AUSVEG is predicting that presently we've got 4,300 growers; they're saying that by 2010 it'll be 900, so it's a major drift." This article is headed, "Get big or get out, vegie growers told"

In our own area, we have seen the number of dairy farms fall with the remaining ones getting larger. This year, we will see many acres of grapevines pulled out whilst the bigger wine producers increase their holdings.

What is the future of agriculture in our area and in Australia as a whole? Lindsay Tanner may be right when he says the Government should not prop up impractical industries. However, we must retain the capability of feeding ourselves. Could 900 vegetable growers feed everyone in Australia in 2010 if or when oil prices reach a level that makes it uneconomical to move food products around the world?

See Also: Labor's farm subsidy criticism 'ludicrous'
See Also: Minister seeks to curb imported vegetables contracts
See Also: $10m vegie plant announced for north-west Tas

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Burying their Heads in the River Gravel

I am tiring of the misinformation and propaganda being put out about the removal of willows from our waterways to cover up the stupidity of the NECMA works carried out on our rivers in the autumn. The article above by Neil McLeod, biodiversity assessment officer, DPI Tatura is a good example.

It is not that I am a fan of willows. The fact is that willows have effectively protected our waterways against flood level erosion of the banks for many years. The removal of these willows immediately before the winter rains has put our rivers at risk of extensive damage in the spring when runoff levels reach their peak.

Neil McLeod's propaganda against willows can be readily challenged. He states that,"Willows have the ability to spread their roots into the bed of a watercourse". That is why Peter Andrews plants them in his efforts to droughtproof Australia. Slowing the water causes seepage into the surrounding river flats eliminating the need to irrigate.

Neil suggests,"They also form thickets which divert water outside the main watercourse or channel" and rather than causing flooding and erosion where the creek banks are vulnerable, the Andrews philosophy claims this enhances the natural phenomonen of creating wetlands that have been hailed as essential by our authorities as a biodiversity necessity.

He claims, Their leaves create a flush of organic matter when they drop in autumn, reducing water quality and ... damages stream health. CSIRO expert, Kurt Cremer claims the opposite in his paper titled, "Remove Willows to conserve Water?" - that removal of willows could contribute to eutrophication. And what about England & Europe? All their trees are deciduous. Do you hear about their trees damaging stream health?

The deed has been done and in spite of protests here and by the people of Bright, there is no recognition of the severity of the works done on our rivers or remedial action taking place. Our authorities simply defend their actions and pray to God that the floods do not come this spring.

Whitfield Police Station closed during the Snow Season

Today's 'Chronicle' reported that police numbers during the snow season at Bright (8 officers), Myrtleford (6 officers) and Mount Beauty (5 officers) had been called into question. Officers are also seconded from Wodonga, Mitta Mitta, Wangaratta, and Whitfield for seven days up to four times during the season.

Why would they take any from Whitfield? It is a one-man station and when he is working in the snowfields, it becomes a no man station. In his absence, police calls are diverted to Wangaratta some fifty kilometres away!

Is there so little work for the Whitfield officer that the department is prepared to close shop to send him to the snowfields? If that is the case, why did they build a new police station and police residence in Whitfield a couple of years ago?

In the meantime, I'm sure the Wangaratta police will enjoy the 100 kilometre round trip to sort out a stray cow on a back road in Whitfield ... and I suspect they will arrive too late to intercept illegal deer hunters in the backwoods.

Related Article: SYKES – POLICE RESOURCES FOR SNOW SEASON