Media Releases

National’s Member for Rodney, Paul Weller has urged the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to revise its proposed Basin Plan and rejects the Plan as not balancing the needs of regional communities with those of the environment.

“The draft Plan needs to focus more on environmental outcomes for water usage and develop engineering solutions that better serve the environment and our farming communities,” Mr Weller said.

“We should be making the environmental water go further and it’s clear that without innovative solutions to environmental watering, the outcomes of the draft Basin Plan will not be met,” he said.

Mr Weller has again described the inevitable impacts of the draft Plan in its current form as ‘locking in the effects of the drought’ for many Rodney Electorate communities - still reeling from the long-term economic effects of the 10 year drought and recent, devastating floods.

In its official submission to the MDBA, the State Coalition Government has rejected the draft plan stating the social and economic impacts of the Plan are too costly for Victoria.

Mr Weller said under the proposed Basin Plan, water available for consumptive use would be reduced by 2750Gl.

“The impacts of these cuts will not be confined to agriculture but will also affect larger communities in the Rodney Electorate,” Mr Weller said.

“Further cuts to consumptive water will have negative knock-on effects like reduced employment and pressure on families to seek off-farm income,” he said.

Mr Weller has echoed the State Government’s call for the Gillard Government to fund environmental works and measures to make effective use of the water they already have and not continue to demand more water from Victoria.

The State Coalition Government’s full submission to the MDBA can be viewed at www.water.vic.gov.au/basin-plan-response.

Two community consultation groups will work with the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Goulburn-Murray Water on the Gunbower Forest Watering and Willow management projects following a public meeting in Leitchville this week.

Member for Rodney, Paul Weller chaired the meeting in response to community concerns regarding the projects.

Minister for Water, the Hon. Peter Walsh, North Central CMA Chief Executive, Damian Wells and representatives from Goulburn-Murray Water, and Murray Darling Basin Authority were in attendance and took the opportunity to listen to public concerns and address comments from the audience.

“Over 90 people attended the meeting with plenty of robust discussion”, Mr Weller said.

Mr Wells said the two community consultation groups will be vital in the success of the projects and builds on previous community engagement activities.

“We are looking forward to working with the community groups and encourage interested community members to become involved.  Local knowledge and experience is important.”

For further information or to express an interest in participating in one of the community consultation groups, contact the North Central CMA on (03) 5448 7124.

 

Member for Rodney, Paul Weller has warned residents in the electorate who fail to control invasive plants and animals on their property to be aware of their responsibilities as the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) doubles property inspections in a major crackdown on agricultural pests and weeds.

“The Coalition Government is committed to taking action on those landholders who allow their properties to become a haven for pests and weeds, like blackberry, gorse, ragwort and thistles,” Mr Weller said.

“The government has allocated an additional $21.2 million in the state budget to boost the fight against weeds and pests and this investment is paying off,” he said.

From July to December last year DPI officers visited 2,768 properties compared to just 1,290 for the same period in 2010.

More than 600 landowners received land management or directions notices over this period demanding they take action to clean up their properties or face penalties. This is up on 288 notices issued for the same period the previous year.

“All landowners need to take responsibility for what is growing on their property and if farmers need help to identify or control agricultural pests they should contact the Department of Primary Industries for assistance,” Mr Weller said.

The DPI is implementing 90 weed enforcement projects across Victoria to support community-led action on weeds.

“It is tremendous to see the farming community work together to eradicate problem weeds and other agricultural pests; local Landcare groups and weed taskforces are great examples of this,” he said.

For more information on identifying and controlling problem pests and weeds contact the Department of Primary Industries on 136 186 or visit the website at www.dpi.vic.gov.au.

 

Member for Rodney, Paul Weller has claimed the proposed draft Murray Darling Basin Plan would not allow the region to recover on the back of its devastating 12 year drought.

 

Following a recent Age report that stated house prices in communities throughout the Murray Darling Basin have fallen by more than four per cent, Mr Weller said the draft Plan “locks in the effects of the drought”.

 

“We should be pushing for the Federal Government to invest in engineering solutions for the environment that deliver the same environmental outcomes with less water,” Mr Weller said.

 

Nationals Senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie said the report into Murray Darling Basin house prices has revealed some dramatic local impacts that will be felt not only by farmers, but also the towns and industries that support them.

 

“Towns like Stanhope and Tongala need certainty in order to grow and prosper into the future – a certainty not provided by the draft Basin Plan, which fails to clearly explain how economic and social factors have been incorporated into its targets,” Senator McKenzie said.

 

“These are iconic food producing areas that have been built on the back of irrigated agriculture where water is wealth.  Now they are vulnerable communities facing an uncertain future,” she said.

 

Echoing this sentiment, Mr Weller stated the draft Basin Plan will continue to choke the dairy industry in the Murray Darling Basin region.

 

“The reduced water availability is expected to see a continued decline in milk production for the towns in this region from the already drought impacted production of 1.8 billion litres,” Mr Weller said.

 

“This figure indicates that the proposed draft Basin Plan will prolong the effects of the drought unless major changes are made to the way we manage environmental flows,” he said.

 

“We should be working towards maintaining environmental outcomes, using less water,” Mr Weller said.

Member for Rodney Paul Weller has accused the Federal Government of being ‘hell-bent’ on decimating northern Victoria for no environmental gain through its draft Murary Darling Basin Plan.

In State Parliament yesterday Mr Weller said the draft plan was proof that the federal Labor-Greens coalition was driven by ideology rather than fact.

“The plan in its current form could see 420,000 megalitres taken from productive agricultural use,” he said.

“This is the equivalent of taking out Tatura and the entire Central Goulburn region.”

Mr Weller said the Federal Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Tony Burke, was making false claims about salinity to sell the draft plan.

“The minister is saying that if we do not return more water to the Murray, it will die from salinity,” he said.

“Let’s look at the facts and they are that salinity levels were higher in the 1970s and 1980s than they are now.”

Mr Weller said salinity levels at Morgan in South Australia exceeded 800 electrical conductivity (EC) 42 per cent of the time from 1975 to 1985.

He said since then EC levels had dropped continually through land care programs, salt interception schemes and better farming practices.

“In 1988 the average electrical conductivity at Morgan was 583 compared to 577 in 1999.

“In the past 12 months that figure had varied between less than 100 and up to 460, with an average of less than 350 EC.

“And this is in a flood year when you would have expected a spike because in flood years the floodwaters mobilise the salt on the flood plain and send it into the river.”

Mr Weller said farmers had done an exceptional job in the past 30 years using the latest technologies to make their water go further.

He said the Federal Government should be using its money and resources to do the same with environmental water.

Mr Weller encouraged all farmers and community members to attend a public meeting on the MDBA draft plan at the Shepparton East Bank Auditorium on Tuesday 13 December at 10.30am.

A young Merrigum dairy farmer has been named among 10 finalists to be offered a Dairy Industry Scholarship for 2012.

Michael Snell has received a $2500 scholarship to pursue education and training opportunities to enhance his skills and leadership capability for the benefit of the industry.

Member for Rodney Paul Weller said the scholarship program was developed in collaboration between Gardiner Foundation, National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA), Dairy Australia and the United Dairy Farmers Victoria (UDV).

Mr Weller said applications were received from 23 candidates with a variety of farming backgrounds and the winners were announced at the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) Breakfast on Friday 25 November.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Michael on securing this exciting scholarship and wish him all the best in his future studies and training,” he said.

“Michael works on his family’s dairy farm at Merrigum and wishes to further his knowledge in the dairy industry.

“He aspires to go on to complete a Bachelor Degree in Agriculture, both to make improvements on the family farm, as well as run his own dairy business one day.”

Mr Weller said short-listed candidates went through an interview process with a selection panel comprised of representatives from UDV, Gardiner Foundation and the NCDEA.

“Candidates were required to talk about their background and current role in the dairy industry, and outline the learning and development plan they wished to undertake,” he said.

“They were also asked to indicate how they would contribute their knowledge back to the industry.”

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has welcomed today’s announcement of a new Victorian Coalition Government initiative to crack down on livestock theft and farm crime.

Mr Weller said a new Livestock and Farm Crime Specialists Group would be established within Victoria Police to investigate a recent spike in livestock theft, particularly sheep, and
undertake targeted operations, prosecute offenders and roll out crime prevention initiatives.

He said the new group would also investigate the theft of heavy machinery, including tractors and bobcats, which had become an increasing problem in the Rodney electorate in recent months.

“This announcement delivers on an election commitment to target a growing incidence of
livestock theft and farm crime which is costing our farmers valuable income,” Mr Weller said.

“This type of crime is an increasing problem in regional and rural Victoria however there is currently no central coordinating office within Victoria Police to tackle livestock theft and farm crime offences.”

Mr Weller said in recent months he had been contacted by farmers from Echuca, Cohuna and Rochester who had fallen victim to farm machinery theft.

He said such opportunistic crime took an enormous financial and emotional toll on farmers and many didn’t know where to turn for help.

“The theft of livestock and farm machinery is a unique crime that requires specialist investigative skills and a good partnership between government, police and agricultural groups to catch those responsible.

“As part of this initiative, a statewide network of police investigators will undergo world class
training to become specialists in the field of livestock theft and farm crime.

“As many as 12 Victoria Police members around Victoria will form the Livestock and Farm
Crime Specialists Group and act as a point of contact for farmers.”

A committee, chaired by Victoria Police, and including representatives from the Victorian Farmers Federation, Department of Primary Industries, the Municipal Association of Victoria, the Stock Agents Association of Victoria and other agencies will meet regularly to discuss emerging
trends and issues relating to livestock theft and farm related crime.

The Elmore Field Days has received $8000 in State Government funding to build a portable catering facility at the showground, Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller said today.

The association is one of 55 agricultural societies across Victoria to receive funding from the Department of Primary Industries.

“I am delighted to announce this funding as I know how hard the Elmore Field Days committee works to stage such a world class event each year,” Mr Weller said.

“This year’s event was another outstanding success and the Victorian Government is proud to play its part in funding projects such as this to ensure the Elmore Field Days is placed in the best possible position to continue to prosper long into the future.”

Mr Weller said more than $305,000 had been distributed across the 55 agricultural societies for a range of projects under the DPI’s Agricultural and Pastoral Grants Program.

“I am extremely pleased that so many agricultural societies have received funding through this program to enable them to continue their extremely valuable work and contribution to their respective communities,” he said.

“A large variety of projects have been funded under the program and include support for meeting display needs right through to major upgrade works.

“The range of projects funded indicate the different needs of agricultural societies across the State and I am pleased to be part of a government that is providing meaningful support to such a large number of societies.”

The Rochester Agricultural Association has received $3600 in State Government funding to support its local show.

The association is one of 55 agricultural societies across Victoria to receive funding from the Department of Primary Industries.

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller said the funding would assist the Rochester Agricultural Association with the purchase of portable steel panels for cattle exhibitions.

“I am delighted to announce this funding as I know how hard the Rochester Agricultural Association works to stage such a successful show each year,” Mr Weller said.

“By funding projects such as this, the Victorian Government is able to assist in ensuring the ongoing viability of the local show at Rochester which is clearly an integral part of the community.

“I am extremely pleased that so many agricultural societies have received funding through this program to enable them to continue their extremely valuable work and contribution to their respective communities.”

Mr Weller said more than $305,000 had been distributed across the 55 agricultural societies for a range of projects under the DPI’s Agricultural and Pastoral Grants Program.

“A large variety of projects have been funded under the program and include support for meeting display needs right through to major upgrade works,” he said.

“The range of projects funded indicate the different needs of agricultural societies across the State and I am pleased to be part of a government that is providing meaningful support to such a large number of societies.”

The Kyabram Agricultural, Horticultural & Pastoral Society has received $10,000 in State Government funding to support its local show.

The association is one of 55 agricultural societies across Victoria to receive funding from the Department of Primary Industries.

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller said the funding would assist the Kyabram Agricultural, Horticultural & Pastoral Society with the purchase of portable fence panels for exhibitions.

“I am delighted to announce this funding as I know how hard the Kyabram Agricultural, Horticultural & Pastoral Society works to stage such a successful show each year,” Mr Weller said.

“By funding projects such as this, the Victorian Government is able to assist in ensuring the ongoing viability of the local show at Kyabram which is clearly an integral part of the community.

“I am extremely pleased that so many agricultural societies have received funding through this program to enable them to continue their extremely valuable work and contribution to their respective communities.”

Mr Weller said more than $305,000 had been distributed across the 55 agricultural societies for a range of projects under the DPI’s Agricultural and Pastoral Grants Program.

“A large variety of projects have been funded under the program and include support for meeting display needs right through to major upgrade works,” he said.

“The range of projects funded indicate the different needs of agricultural societies across the State and I am pleased to be part of a government that is providing meaningful support to such a large number of societies.”