Pipeline resistance grows - letter from Bill Sykes

Resistance to the North-South pipeline is growing as more people realise that the proposal is flawed because it proposes to take water from a ‘water stressed’ area to service Melbourne’s growing needs when other options such as reduced consumption, recycling and storm water capture are readily available.

Another major concern is the gross over estimate of potential water savings especially in dry years. This means that in dry years, Melbourne may only receive 10-20GL – far less than the 75GL upon which the ‘crude’ costings have been done. This is likely to make the water much more expensive than other options.

Most disturbing is that the Food Bowl Alliance Plan for water savings concentrates only on major channels and proposes to shift the cost of maintaining smaller channels and the high losses to irrigators served by
these smaller channels.

This means that much of the so called savings are simply transference of losses from public responsibility to private responsibility rather than true savings.

This in itself is deceitful and the consequence is unacceptable. The consequence will be a higher water cost to smaller irrigators unable to afford necessary infrastructure upgrades leading to the accelerated demise
of many small irrigators.

Fortunately some members of the Food Bowl Alliance have recognised that the plan which they originally supported is no longer worthy of support because of the harm that it will cause to local families and communities.

Well done to Food Bowl Alliance members such as Dean Pullar and Ken Muston for going public with their concerns.

The following statistics highlight the strong and growing public opposition to the pipeline:-

· Anti-pipeline petitions taken to Parliament - 18,454 signatures
· 3 WIN TV viewer polls - 95%, 97%, 98% against
· Plug the Pipe website vote - 1,400 votes, 97% against
· VFF - 300 votes, 99% against

To Mr Brumby I say, listen to the people and Plug the Pipeline!

Yours sincerely
BILL SYKES MP
Member for Benalla

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Sykes: Drought funding welcome but more needed

The State Government $100 million drought assistance package has been welcomed by Bill Sykes, National MP Benalla but Dr Sykes says that more is required.

Dr Sykes and The Nationals along with farming organisations, health care services and local councils have been calling for additional drought assistance measures for several months.

Most recently Dr Sykes made an impassioned plea in Parliament highlighting the high incidence of drought related suicides and calling for the State Government to ease the pressure by increasing drought assistance measures and abandoning plans to decommission Lake Mokoan and the North South Pipeline and rejecting the VEAC draft report on River Red Gum Forests.

Dr Sykes said, “The Government’s $1,000 towards water bills for all irrigators receiving less than 40% allocation by 1 December, will be appreciated as will the 50% rebate on the balance above $1,000. That said this is really only general taxpayer’s funds being used to reimburse Government water authorities operating costs.

“Grants for $3,000 for property infrastructure upgrades including water piping systems and stock containment areas will also be welcome.

“But, in the words of the Government, more needs to be done.

“In particular, funding for the small town development fund should be increased from $5 million to at least $25 million. This would help restore confidence and help provide much needed employment opportunities.

“It is also important that the assistance measures to help businesses retain apprentices are not restricted to businesses with three or more eligible apprentices as has been the case with other State Government assistance. Many small businesses only have one or two apprentices and it is important that they are eligible for this assistance.”

Dr Sykes concluded, “As is so often the case, the ‘devil is in the detail’ so we will look closely at the assistance measures over the next few days to ensure that as many deserving people as possible benefit from the State Government Drought Assistance measures.”

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Mirabella welcomes Bandiana upgrade

“I am delighted that the Howard Government will invest $36.9million to upgrade facilities at the Bandiana defence facility,” Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, said today.

“This new upgrade will improve Bandiana’s warehouse facilities, and will further cement the importance of Wodonga as a key national logistics hub.”

In an announcement at the launch of Mrs Mirabella’s campaign, the Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson, announced the new project that will include civil works, removal of aged and obsolete buildings, the construction of new buildings and service works.

Minister Nelson’s media release is attached.

“Most importantly, this means more local jobs, which will in turn feed the local economy,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“It is only possible to invest in vital national infrastructure like this as a result of our strong national economy. If our economy is put at risk, investment in infrastructure will also be put at risk.”

“The election of a Labor/Union Government, with 70% of Ministers as former trade union officials, poses a significant risk to our economy.”

Minister Nelson's press release:

I am pleased to announce that the Federal Government will invest $36.9 million to construct a new purpose built warehousing facility at East Bandiana, Victoria.

The new warehousing facility will provide effective warehousing support to the ADF and enhance the national and regional logistic storage support provided by the Bandiana Military Area.

The project includes civil works, removal of aged and obsolete buildings, the construction of new buildings and service works.

The construction of these facilities reaffirms the Howard Government's commitment to providing modern facilities to support the ADF.

Subject to parliamentary clearance, construction is planned to commence in May 2009 with completion expected in late 2010.

This year the Government will continue to make a financial contribution of around $200M to fund both Defence facilities and personnel in Indi.

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Increased Fire Service Levy ignites anger

The Nationals Member for Benalla and Spokesperson for Police & Emergency Services, Bill Sykes, is angry that the Fire Service Levy (FSL) on building insurance has risen again.

“This is the fourth rise in the FSL in the last 12 months and it now means that the levy is at 49 per cent, which is outrageous,” Dr Sykes said.

“This rise is effective as of October this year and it will dramatically affect insurance premiums and it has the potential of discouraging people from insuring. This cannot be in the best public interest.”

With this increase in the FSL, coming on top of the terrorism levy (not paid on farm insurance), GST and State Government stamp duty charged on property insurance premiums, country people are looking at significant increases in their insurance bills.

“A country business paying an insurance premium of $1,000 will now be facing a bill of around $1,840 due to the FSL increases.”

Dr Sykes said that New South Wales was the only other state to have a FSL, and it is much lower compared to Victorian premiums.

“Again I find it extraordinary that country Victorians are slugged by this price hike. While the cost of the FSL will go up across the board, the amount paid by country Victorians who purchase property insurance will increase more than that paid by their metropolitan counterparts.

“This Labor Government continues to turn its back on country Victorians. On top of this fire levy increase it has also refused to give a commitment to replace water taken from storages of private citizens to fight fires, many of which start on Crown Land.”

“Everyone knows Labor can’t manage finances. It has had windfall gains from record levels of income from land tax; stamp duty, police fines and pokies revenue, along with GST returns, yet it still keeps hitting Victorians with increased fees and charges.”

Dr Sykes concluded, “This increase on fire service levies will place a further burden on country families and businesses who are already struggling because of the continuing affects of the drought. The Brumby Government should have more compassion”.

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Nationals win on medical travel subsidies

The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, said he was pleased to see the Government had yielded to common sense and increased the subsidy for the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme.

Dr Sykes said, “The Nationals Spokesperson for Health, Hugh Delahunty raised this matter recently in Parliament and called on the State Government to increase the reimbursement for the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS).

“I have also raised the issue with the previous Minister for Health on behalf of constituents disadvantaged by the current low rates.

“It is pleasing to see the Government has come to the party and increased the transport subsidy to 17 cents per kilometre (from 14 cents/km) and the accommodation subsidy to $35 per night (from $30 per night).

“Unfortunately the increase is not substantial, but it will help the many rural Victorians who make claims to this program,” Dr Sykes said.

“This is an important scheme for country people who have to travel long distances for medical and specialist treatment, however the reimbursement has not moved with the times”.

VPTAS is a partial-reimbursement scheme that assists rural and remote Victorians with travel and accommodation costs when they are travelling over 100 kms for specialist and medical treatment.

“The issue of claimants being required to use their nearest specialist rather than say a Melbourne based specialist to be eligible for subsidies, is yet to be clarified.

Dr Sykes concluded, “The people of the Benalla Electorate and country Victoria are entitled to top quality health services within their community and specialist services within their region. The Nationals have lobbied for an increase in the VPTAS subsidy for over 12 months and it was timely for the State Government, with their budget surplus, to loosen the purse strings in favour of country Victorians and increase the subsidy.”

One in four to miss out under Labor Broadband policy

“Labor’s candidate for Indi must come clean on which local towns and communities will miss out under the ALP’s discredited broadband plan,” Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, said today.

“An astonishing one in four Australians, or three million homes and small businesses, will miss out completely on broadband under Labor,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“In contrast, the Coalition has a rock solid and guaranteed plan to provide broadband to every Australian who wants it.”

“We will extend high speed broadband to 99 percent of the population via a new state-of-the-art WiMAX, ADSL2+ and fibre broadband network and provide a $2,750 2-way satellite broadband subsidy for the remaining one percent.”

“Labor falls well short, and wants to waste $4.7 billion of taxpayer’s money in providing a service to highly commercial metropolitan areas that private industry has said it will do itself.”

“The Coalition has moved to safeguard $2 billion in Government funding to provide broadband to rural, regional and remote Australia with legislation passed in September. But if Labor gets control of Parliament, they can strip this funding away, and have promised to do so.”

“It is extraordinary that Labor would take away the critical funds to provide broadband to a quarter of the population, just so it can spend it in areas that would be serviced by private providers anyway.”

The reason for this is that Labor has picked just one technology – a metro-friendly fibre technology which works very well if you are living within 1.5kms of either a telephone exchange or telephone junction box (node), but is useless if you are living a few kilometers away from town as many regional Australians do.

Under the Coalition, regional Australians, and indeed metropolitan Australians, will get access to speeds of 12 megabit per second which is 40 times faster than what most people use today. You will be paying between $35 and $60 per month for this service. Under the Coalition, high speed broadband will be extended to 99% of the population.

“I call on Ms Leschen to be honest with the people of Indi and tell them who will miss out in this half-baked plan for broadband,” Mrs Mirabella said.

Mirabella welcomes pork inquiry

“I am pleased that the Howard Government is listening to local stakeholders in the pork industry and initiating a comprehensive Productivity Commission inquiry into the impact of pork imports,” Sophie Mirabella, the Member for Indi, said today.

“A number of local residents have contacted me on this issue, and this is another example of the Howard Government working hard to listen to local concerns.”

The Treasurer has announced that the Productivity Commission will undertake a safeguards inquiry into the impact of imports of pigmeat on the Australian pork industry. The inquiry will also examine more broadly structural adjustment that has been occurring recently in the industry.

“As a World Trade Organization (WTO) Member, Australia has made binding commitments in relation to the trade of goods and services, which allows Australia to introduce safeguard measures in certain circumstances,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Safeguards may be used to respond to unexpected and unforeseen increased imports which have caused serious material injury to the relevant domestic industry, if the Productivity Commission decides such measures are justified.”

The Commission will be conducting the inquiry in accordance with Australia’s safeguards procedures, which have been notified to the WTO. Australia will be notifying the WTO of this investigation within the next couple of days as well as advising relevant trading partners.

The Commission has been asked to provide an accelerated report examining whether critical circumstances exist to justify provisional safeguard measures. The Commission is to provide the accelerated report to the Government by 14 December 2007 with a final report due by the end of March 2008.

“The Commission will seek participation from relevant stakeholders in this inquiry. I hope that local stakeholders have their say as all interested parties are invited to make a submission,” Mrs Mirabella said.

More details, including information on how to make a submission are available from the Productivity Commission at www.pc.gov.au or by phoning 02 6240 3239.

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Nats seek legislative guarantee on water replacement

The Nationals will continue to pressure the Brumby Government for a legislative guarantee that all water taken from private dams for fire fighting will be replaced at the cost of taxpayers.

Leader of The Nationals, Peter Ryan, said he was not satisfied with commitments from the Brumby Government that ‘critical water’ would be replaced this summer if it was taken for fire fighting purposes.

“Melbourne Labor Ministers are saying ‘trust us’ and quite frankly, when it comes to water, no-one in country Victoria has any one reason to believe promises from the Brumby Government,” Mr Ryan said.

“We all remember that this government ruled out taking water from north of the Great Dividing Range and ridiculed any talk of a desalination plant – now it is doing both despite widespread community opposition.

“There is a need for greater certainty in relation to compensation for taking water from private dams to fight fires – particularly since the major fires we are likely to experience are likely to originate from publicly owned land.”

The Nationals Spokesman for Police and Emergency Services, Bill Sykes, said legislation that was debated during the last sitting week of State Parliament has exposed further inconsistencies within the Brumby Government.

“We’ve had the Minister for Police making assurances that ‘critical water’ taken from stock and domestic dams will be replaced at the expense of the government. Critical water, being that which is essential for the well being of people and their animals – so this assurance will apply to only a small proportion of people whose water is taken to fight fires. The Minister for the Environment then told the Upper House that the government will compensate all landowners whose water is taken for use in DSE fire fighting operations,” Dr Sykes said.

“At the same time, we have different insurance companies adding to the confusion by offering different advice on whether water is covered by insurance policies.

“The bottom line is that if the government takes water for fire fighting, it should replace that water.

“Under the current proposals, Melbourne Labor Ministers are saying they will make up their minds each summer and if necessary, private landholders can claim any water losses on their insurance policies.

“If that system is allowed to develop, it’s only a matter of time before insurance companies increase the premiums for any landholder who lives near a public forest that is likely to catch fire in the future.

“The State Government must eliminate the inconsistencies and confusion and provide legislation that guarantees landholders that they will be compensated if water is taken from their properties for the fire fighting effort.

“It is highly unfair and discriminatory to expect country Victorians to pay for the protection of an asset that is owned by all taxpayers – our National Parks and State Forests.”

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Federal election campaign - ALGA articulates its agenda online

The first week of the 2007 election campaign provided an opportunity for the major players to frame the agenda. ALGA has entered the fray with its ELECTION 07 website on http://www.alga.asn.au/Election2007/ which provides links to key policies of relevance to local government and local government's '10-Point Plan' election document. ALGA is strongly campaigning for both parties to commit to a $250m per annum 4-year Local Community Infrastructure Renewals Fund among other initiatives such as financial sustainability for local government, and constitutional recognition.

In setting the scene for the next six weeks, the Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd both talked about leadership - "the right leadership" vs "new leadership." Mr Howard said he would focus on the economy, jobs and "policies that will lift living standards and address pressures felt by sections of the Australian community", Mr Howard promised further detail on climate change and water security policies and plans to give communities a greater say in the running of their own hospitals. Mr Howard and the Treasurer, Peter Costello, also announced a $34 billion tax policy. Mr Rudd highlighted education, industrial relations, broadband, delivering benefits for working families, the environment and health as Labor's agenda. Labor focused its housing affordability statement on the issue of land release.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of The Nationals, Mark Vaile, outlined the Nationals plan to share the benefits of a strong economy with local communities. He said the biggest issue facing local communities was the state of public hospitals and community management was the answer. He also said that creating jobs in the regions would be a priority. "The Nationals' plan for roads is to fast-track safety work on local roads by injecting funds directly into your local councils through Roads to Recovery and to improve the safety of our regional and interstate road networks through our new National Transport Plan - AusLink 2," he said. "Our vision includes a strong rail network to get more big trucks off our roads through projects like the Inland Rail link from Brisbane to Melbourne through Western NSW."

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Funding available for Men’s Sheds

The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, wishes to alert the community to grants of up to $50,000 that are being made available for the establishment of men’s sheds in areas of high need under the first round of the Victorian Government’s Men’s Sheds Program 2007.

The sheds provide a place for men to meet, get to know other men in their community, while improving existing expertise or learning new skills, Bill Sykes said.

Research indicates that many of the men involved in the current network of Men’s Sheds are aged 50 years and over, a number of whom have encountered major life-changing issues, such as leaving the paid workforce, voluntarily or otherwise, or significant health problems.

The men come from a range of back grounds and cultures and the sheds provide a new focus in their lives, helping reduce social isolation and providing an opportunity for them to build new social networks, and take part in activities which interest them, he said.

The sheds, often run in conjunction with other community organisations, such as a learning centre or neighbourhood house, also provide information on a range of health and well being related issues, and opportunities to become involved in the community, through education programs or as a volunteer, Bill Sykes said.

The program provides infrastructure funding to not-for-profit organisations for the construction or redevelopment of existing buildings for a men’s shed facility, for projects which demonstrate a high level community need.

Applications close on December 14 2007. Grants information can be obtained from www.dpcd.vic.gov.au, or on the grants information line 1300 366 356.

Copies of the guidelines and application forms are available from Bill Sykes’ Electorate Office at 2/ 55 Carrier St, Benalla. or by contacting Peta Clark at my Office ph 5762 2100 at

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Sykes urges Horse Associations to apply for EI support

Horse associations which voluntarily cancelled events due to the Equine Influenza threat have been urged to apply for grants to recover costs and lost profits, by local MP and Veterinarian Bill Sykes.

Dr Sykes said not-for-profit, non-racing groups such as pony clubs, adult riding clubs, dressage and show jumping clubs, agriculture societies, breed societies and sports horse groups were eligible for a grant.

“Many groups across the Benalla Electorate cancelled their events because of the fear of the spread of EI and these grants give them an avenue to recoup some of the expenses outlaid in organising the event, as well as any lost profits,” he said.

“Country shows are an example of one area which has suffered because the EI threat.

“They’re a major event for country towns, so many of them chose to go ahead with their shows but without the planned horse events. In cancelling horse events, agricultural and show societies have borne significants costs and losses in profit, profit which would ordinarily put to the cost of next year’s event.

“The information I have is that societies in this situation are eligible for this grant and I would encourage them to apply,” Dr Sykes said.

“Some examples of the expenses groups can claim are engraved trophies, printed ribbons and schedules, and venue deposits. Groups can also seek compensation for lost potential profit, such as through gate fees, raffles and entry fees.”

Dr Sykes said cancelled events must have been advertised and scheduled for between 1 September and 31 October. Groups which postponed rather than cancelled their events are ineligible for the funding.

“I am pleased the Government has recognised that despite remaining EI-free, many of Victoria’s horse associations have been adversely affected through voluntarily cancelling their events, and it has agreed to help these associations through this grants scheme.”

The Department of Primary Industries is urging groups which choose to continue with their events or rallies to observe strict bio-security guidelines and register their events on the DPI website.

More information and copies of the grant’s guidelines and application forms are available at www.dpi.vic.gov.au or from Dr Sykes’ Electorate Office at 2/55 Carrier Street, Benalla ph 5762 2100.

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Gun licence renewal should be automatic

The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes has joined the call for the automatic renewal of firearm licences, similar to motor vehicle licences.
Dr Sykes, The Nationals Spokesperson for Police & Emergency Services said, “The Nationals believe the automatic renewal of firearm licences should take place every five years, rather than requiring gun owners to reapply for the licence”.
“This automatic licence renewal, with some requirements for mandatory reporting of changed circumstances, would be a simpler and less time consuming process.”
Dr Sykes said that the Firearms Act currently treats each licence renewal as a new application.
“Given the initial licence screening and ongoing monitoring of licence-holders by the Victoria Police, the requirement that renewals be treated as new applications does not add any value to the regulatory process. In fact it adds costs to all concerned,” Dr Sykes said.
“Amending the act to provide for automatic renewals would not affect the ability of the Chief Commissioner to revoke a licence, and a new provision could be inserted to enable her to refuse to renew a licence that would otherwise be scheduled for automatic renewal.
“Moving to automatic renewals would release badly needed resources within the licensing services division to perform other functions as well as making the interface with shooters more 'user friendly'. Automatic renewals would provide administrative efficiency without having any impact on public safety -- therefore providing a net benefit.”
“There is an automatic renewal process for a motor vehicle licence, but if for some reason there is a change in one's personal circumstance -- for example, certain medical conditions -- there is a mandatory requirement to notify VicRoads,” Dr Sykes said.
“Universally, I think that people who do the right thing, those who legally own and use firearms, accept that there needs to be some form of regulatory regime to control ownership and use of firearms.”
Dr Sykes concluded, “The Nationals are saying that we can continue to have five-year firearm licences but that they be renewed automatically, rather than requiring a separate application to renew each licence, and I urge the State Government to work with key interest groups to further improve the firearms licensing process”.

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$2.3 Billion Tax Cut To Help With Education

Labor’s tax plan addresses not only returns money into people’s pockets but will assist families provide for their children’s education through the Education Tax Refund.

“In times of prosperity, it is the responsible of governments to prepare for the future,” the ALP candidate for Indi, Zuvele Leschen, said today.

“Anyone who has children at school knows that the demands on your pocket are endless – it’s hard enough just paying for uniforms and school text books, without all the extra curricular activities which are an essential part of modern education.”

“The Rudd Government will assist parents with these costs, through an Education Tax Refund.”

All families who receive Family Tax Benefit (Part A) will be eligible for Labor’s new 50 per cent tax refund for eligible education expenses on:

• laptops;
• home computer and associated costs;
• home internet connection;
• printers;
• education software; and
• school text books.

With the new 50 per cent Education Tax Refund, a family with three children, one in primary school and the other two in secondary school, will receive a benefit of up to $1,875 each year.

Over the course of their children’s education, a family with three children will receive assistance of up to $21,375.

“Over 40% of Indi households consists of families with dependant children, who will be eligible for this assistance,” Mrs Leschen said.

“Labor will deliver the same tax cuts as the Coalition to those earning less than $180 000 a year, assist parents educate their children and cut elective surgery lists, for the same cost as the Coalition’s tax plan.”

“This is a sensible scheme which returns money into taxpayers’ pockets and helps them educate their children at the same time.”

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Liberals Tax Plan Policy

“The Liberal Party’s fair share tax plan will mean lower taxes for families in our region,” Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, said today.

“This new fair share tax plan will ensure that all Australians receive a fair share of the Liberal Party’s pro-growth policies, and will put more dollars into the pockets of taxpayers.”

Under the Liberal Party’s plan, a family with the principal earner on average weekly earnings and the second income earner in part-time work (earning 40% of average earnings) will receive an income tax cut of around $30 per week rising to $50 per week in 2010.

“I set up the backbench group on taxation reform, and I have been pleased with the tax cuts over the last three years and now I am personally delighted that taxes will be cut further.”

“In 1999, someone on $30,000 of income per annum would have paid $6,200 in tax. Following the tax cuts introduced earlier this year, they will now be paying $2,800 in tax. As a result of this announcement, someone on $30,000pa will soon be paying just $2,150 in tax – a further 23% reduction in the amount of tax they pay.”

“As a result of the increase in the Low Income Tax Offset, someone earning up to $14,000pa will pay no tax, with further tax cuts for all income tax payers.”

“It is important to remember that there is no such thing as ‘Government money’ – only ‘taxpayer money.’ Once a Government has funded all its reasonable expenses, it is fair to return any additional money to taxpayers.”

“It is only possible to return tax cuts because of the strong economic management over the last ten years, which have included paying off Labor’s $96 billion debt, and decentralising the wage system.”

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Guide for M.D.B. Irrigators

Guidelines for the Australian Government’s grant for irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), crippled by reduced water allocations, have been released.

The Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella, said that the specific measures for irrigators, as announced on 25 September, included grants of up to $20,000 for MDB irrigators.

“The Howard Government recognises that this is an unprecedented situation for most irrigators and that there is a need for immediate financial assistance,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“These grants will be made available to MDB irrigators to help them respond to significantly reduced water allocations.”

Applications for the Irrigation Management Grant can be made through Centrelink.

Activities eligible for assistance include:

• payment of fixed water charges
• installation or upgrading of piping, troughs and associated activities for stock and domestic water
• sinking/extending/refurbishment of bores (and pumps)
• pruning activities to minimise the impact of low water allocations
• reconfiguring irrigation systems
• equipment replacement to maintain irrigation systems (including computer software, piping and pumps)
• costs associated with implementing water efficient crop options, and
• laser levelling.

The grant will be payable for activities undertaken between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2009 and will be paid directly to irrigators.

Eligible irrigators must meet the Exceptional Circumstances Interest Rate Subsidy off-farm assets test of $750,000.

For more information about the new assistance measures for irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin contact the Murray-Darling Basin Assistance and Referral Line on 1800 050 015.

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Sykes: Firewater – Government Response Disgraceful

“Disgraceful” is how Nationals Police & Emergency Services spokesperson Bill Sykes described the Labor Government’s response to his call for the Government to be required by legislation to replace water used by the fire fighters.

Dr Sykes said, “Last night in Parliament I moved an amendment to the Emergency Services Bill to make it a legislated responsibility of the Government to replace water taken from private water storages to fight fires, particularly on public land”.

“This would replace the current arrangement of it being ‘at the whim’ of the Government of the day to replace the water or to expect people to claim the loss of water on their insurance policy.

The Government response was to ‘belittle’ The Nationals and to make stupid statements such as:-

“There is now very little water in dams to fight fires anywhere. One of the silly proposals in the Member for Benalla’s contribution was to build fire fighting dams (on crown land). This might be well and good if it rained but it doesn’t rain anymore. What a ridiculous proposal.”

Dr Sykes continued, “The VFF strongly support The Nationals proposal as do many CFA members and landholders.

“Last week The Nationals extracted a political commitment from the Government to replace critical water supplies used to fight fires.

“This week in Parliament, the Minister for the Environment went further when he agreed to compensate all land holders whose water is taken for use in DSE fire fighting operations.

“Our request is quite reasonable; let’s enshrine what now appears to be Government policy into legislation.

“Clearly the Melbourne centric Labor Government is out of touch with country Victoria and has been caught out with ill-prepared legislation followed by ‘knee jerk’ responses by an ill-informed spokesperson.”

Dr Sykes concluded, “The Nationals will fight every inch of the way in Parliament. We hope to gain the support of other parties to force the Government to amend the legislation to ensure the Government is required by law to replace the water used to fight fires on public land. This is preferable to the Government using the replacement of water as a political point scoring exercise each time there is a big fire.”

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