Member for Monbulk: Support the wonders of the central west

EMAIL YOUR MINISTER

The more people the minister hears from, the more weight the call to support greater protection will have. 

– Start by introducing yourself, why you care about the environment and why you’ve taken the time to write.
– Identify the key issues that you want to raise and why they concern you.
– The more personal touches you can add to your email, the better. Share your unique perspective, experiences and connections to the forests of the central west.
– Make sure you add your full name and the suburb you live in.
– Please BCC in [email protected] so we can gauge how many people are willing to stand up for their special places!

To:  [email protected]

BCC: [email protected]

• As a resident of Monbulk, I call on to make sure VEAC’s final recommendations are fully supported by government, and moves are made to swiftly create and implement new national parks and conservation reserves in Victoria’s central west for almost 60,000 hectares.
• New parks would protect almost 400 threatened species such as the Greater Glider and Powerful Owl.
• It’s not everyday we have the opportunity to create new parks –and this would signify the largest creation of new national parks in over a decade.
• The Wombat Forest, near Daylesford is a vital refuge for the Greater Glider, Australia’s largest flying mammal.
• A new national park for the Wombat Forest would secure long-term protection for this species that is in decline across the state, where at least a quarter of Greater Glider habitat has been impacted by the unprecedented fires in the east of Victoria.
• We know national parks stimulate local economies, and as an example more broadly, Victoria’s parks estate contributes $2.1 billion annually to the economy through park tourism and supports 20,000 jobs.
• Without support in new parks, around 99 areas are set to be logged in the central west, including key areas adjacent to popular bush walks at Mt Cole.
• I support Joint or Co-management of parks by Traditional Owners, if these arrangements are developed into new central west parks.
• As the Victorian community continues to grow, we need more natural areas for respite and recreation, and these new parks easily accessible to the west of the state are greatly needed, particularly for the western and northern suburbs of Melbourne.
• The new park recommendations for the Wellsford, Mount Cole and Pyrenees Ranges, and the Wombat allow for most recreational activities, in addition to the 19,000 hectares of regional park allowing for almost all forms of recreation, including dog walking, fossicking and prospecting.
• In the context of the bushfires, making an area a national park makes no difference to fire management, where Forest Fire Victoria, an arm of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), controls fire management on public land, including in both national parks, and state forest.
• Protecting Victoria’s remaining unburnt forests are increasingly critical for wildlife, water, climate, community wellbeing and tourism.