Media Releases

The Victorian Coalition Government will provide a sustainable and long-term supply of firewood from the river red gum forests to the communities of Barmah and Gunbower, Nationals MP Paul Weller announced today.

The firewood supply will initially be sourced from logging residue and will gradually be replaced by firewood produced through an ecological thinning program.

Mr Weller secured the commitment from Environment and Climate Change Minister Ryan Smith this week.

“As we all know, the Labor Government declared both the Barmah and Gunbower state forests a national park during its last term in power, and as a result, the collection of household firewood was to be completely phased out from June 30 this year,” he said.

“The Labor Government made no provision for domestic firewood collection past this date and naturally this greatly angered affected residents in the River Red Gum region.

“I am delighted the Coalition Government has taken immediate action to ensure the very basic needs of these residents are not overlooked and has developed a strategy to ensure their ongoing access to a sustainable supply of domestic firewood.”

Mr Weller said Parks Victoria had opened domestic firewood collection areas on Barmah Island in the proposed Murray River Park on July 1 to supply firewood to the residents of Barmah this winter.

He said the Department of Sustainability and Environment had opened domestic firewood collection areas in the Gunbower State forest to supply Gunbower residents with their winter firewood supply.

Mr Weller said the Minister was also considering a legislative amendment to extend the period available to collect firewood from specified former logging coupes in Barmah and Gunbower National Parks, for domestic and camping use outside the parks, for a further three years.

“In the longer-term, firewood supply will initially be sourced from logging residue in river red gum forests and parks,” he said.

“This source will gradually be replaced with firewood produced by an ecological thinning program in the Murray River Park and logging and thinning residues in the Gunbower, Benwell and Guttram State forests.”

Mr Weller said the Coalition Government’s commitment to a long-term firewood collection strategy would provide enormous relief to many Barmah and Gunbower residents who relied on firewood as the sole source of affordable fuel to heat their homes.

Member for Rodney Paul Weller is continuing the push to secure a long-term strategy for the collection of domestic firewood from the Gunbower and Barmah national parks.

In State Parliament last night Mr Weller sought an update from Environment Minister Ryan Smith as to the Coalition Government’s progress on developing a plan to allow for the continued and sustainable collection of household firewood.

“As we all know, the Labor Government declared both the Barmah and Gunbower state forests a national park during its last term in power,” he said.

“As a result the collection of household firewood is to be completely phased out from June 30 this year.

“In its haste to lock the River Red Gum region up into national parks, the Labor Government made no provision for domestic firewood collection post 2011 – a move which has rightly angered affected residents in the region.”

Mr Weller told Parliament many Barmah and Gunbower residents relied on firewood as the sole source of affordable fuel for the purpose of heating their homes.

He said there was no natural gas supply to either township and the purchase of wood or bottled gas was not an option given the cost could be as much as $70 to $80 per week.

“Exacerbating the uncertainty residents face in accessing firewood post 2011 is the fact that recent flooding has had an immediate impact on the availability of firewood leading up to this winter season.

“Flood waters have limited safe access to the forests and created a situation where most normally available firewood on the ground is wet and not useful for self-collectors.”

Mr Weller said the situation had the potential to force many into a grim position where they would be unable to heat their homes during the coming winter months.

He said the shortage of firewood supply also had the potential to drive prices up which was of serious concern.

“With these issues in mind, I ask the Minister to explain what efforts have been made to develop a plan to deal with the immediate challenge of supplying residents with dry firewood at an affordable price.

“In addition, I ask the Minister to advise what long-term strategy has been developed to allow for the continued and sustainable collection of domestic firewood from the Gunbower and Barmah national parks, post June 30 this year.”

The Brumby Labor Government has refused to disclose how it intends to use the unspent portion of the River Red Gum Forest Workers Assistance Program (RRG FWAP), Nationals MP Paul Weller said today.

Mr Weller said Freedom of Information documents obtained in December had revealed that less than half of the $4.5 million assistance package set aside to compensate timber workers had been spent.

He said Victorian Environment Minister Gavin Jennings had confirmed this week that the full $4.5 million package would not be spent, but had refused to disclose what would happen to the outstanding funds.

“The Minister’s unwillingness to answer the questions put to him in my letter indicates that he will keep any unspent funds and divert them to other areas.

“This course of action is deplorable given the dire situation facing many timber workers and their families as a result of the government’s decision to turn much of the River Red Gum Region into a national park.”

Mr Weller said the Minister made a promise to the RRG communities on April 1, 2009, to provide compensation of $4.5 million to support timber workers and businesses with financial, retraining and other assistance.

He said it appeared the Minister was now performing a backflip on that promise.

“I am aware that training and relocation assistance may be accessed by participants in the FWAP at any time over the program’s duration, but it is reasonable to assume that only a very small amount of the outstanding $2.6 million will be spent on these elements between now and the program’s conclusion in mid-2010.

“That being the case, it is highly likely that only about half of the $4.5 million allocated to the FWAP will be spent on the program.”

Mr Weller said on top of the compensation issue, the timber industry was still waiting for the Minister to announce what an ecological thinning scheme would look like, what the volume of timber would be and what grades of timber would be available to timber cutters.

“Each of these issues typify the Minister’s treatment of the RRG communities throughout this whole disastrous process,” he said.

“He has strung our communities along with insincere offers and empty promises to make people believe they are being looked after and then has pulled the rug out from under them.”

The Brumby Labor Government has been successful in its cold-hearted attempt to evict a pioneering family from a parcel of land in the Gunbower State Forest which it has occupied for the past 147 years, Nationals MP Paul Weller said today.

Mr Weller said Rob Masters had been forced to accept a decision by the Victorian Government to vacate his family’s land within five years to make way for the area to be turned into a national park.

He branded the government’s decision to extend its original licence offer from three to five years a ‘complete insult and injustice’, but said Mr Masters had run out of avenues to fight the ruling.

“The Victorian Government has the power to grant Mr Masters a 65 year lease for the Masters Landing site under the recently enacted Crown Land Acts Amendment (Lease and Licence Terms) Bill.

“But instead of utilising the powers under this Bill, the government has ordered Mr Masters off the site by September 30, 2014.”

Mr Weller said if the Victorian Liberal National Coalition was successful at the November 27 election it would permit Mr Masters to remain on his family’s land to continue their proud tradition of maintaining and preserving Masters Landing.

However he said at this point in time, Mr Masters had been left with no option but to accept the offer from the Brumby Government.

“We have put every possible argument to the Environment Minister on the issue, but he has steadfastly refused to show any compassion.

“Unfortunately we have exhausted all available avenues to fight the government on this ridiculous ruling.

“Premier Brumby and his Environment Minister have blatantly ignored the pleas of thousands of residents from Gunbower, Leitchville, Cohuna, Echuca and surrounding districts to allow descendants of the Masters Family to continue living and maintaining family homes and heritage at Masters Landing.

“The Brumby Government has shown once again that it does not understand or care about small communities in country Victoria.”

Less than half of the $4.5 million assistance package set aside to compensate River Red Gum Forest workers has been spent according to Freedom of Information documents obtained by Nationals MP Paul Weller.

The Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development documents reveal that just $1.9 million of the $4.5 million package had been allocated to timber workers as of October 31, 2009.

Mr Weller said the under-spending was alarming given the dire situation facing many timber workers and their families.

He said the assistance program was scheduled to end in mid-2010 and it appeared likely the Brumby Labor Government intended to short-change timber workers, licensees and contractors.

“Timber workers and their families are under severe financial and emotional pressure as a result of the government’s decision to dramatically scale back timber harvesting in the River Red Gum Region, yet a staggering $2.6 million of the so-called assistance package remains unspent.

“That money was set aside to assist timber workers to adjust to the government’s disastrous plan to turn much of the River Red Gum Region into a national park

“I suggest the government come clean immediately on what it intends to do with the outstanding $2.6 million.”

Mr Weller said 32 forest workers had received compensation through the ‘workers assistance’ arm of the program and 21 applicants had received compensation through the ‘business assistance’ category.

“Of the 32 applicants to receive workers assistance, only eight received the maximum grant amount of $80,000,” he said.

“In addition to this only $700 has been allocated in training grants and just $30,000 committed to assist with relocation costs.”

Mr Weller said of the 21 applicants to receive business assistance, only three received the maximum amount available of $100,000.

He said a number of timber workers had lodged appeals for an increase in compensation on the grounds that their assistance offers were grossly-underestimated.

“On average, sawmill businesses received compensation of just $20,000 when in reality many have equipment worth $200,000 or more sitting idle because they’ve been forced out of business.

“If the government has $2.6 million left-over then why isn’t it spending that money on providing a more accurate level of compensation to timber workers, licensees and contractors?”