PARK WATCH Article March 2025 |

Adrian Marshall Facilitator, Grassy Plains Network, reports on the failure of governments to prevent more grassland destruction

Another irreplaceable grassland has been bulldozed, with local, state and federal authorities all failing to protect it despite knowing the destruction was happening.

The privately owned land at Mt Cottrell in Melbourne’s west was grassland intended to become part of the long-promised 15,000 hectare Western Grassland Reserve (WGR).

The WGR is part of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment (MSA), a program put in place in 2010 to protect our last native grasslands.

But developers ignore the law and clear grasslands, hoping their profit-at-any-cost habitat destruction can create a path to future riches. It’s a practice we’re sadly all too familiar with.

Free pass from authorities

More galling is when our elected officials stand by and let it happen!

We are told Melton Council chose not to order work to stop despite knowing the clearing was ongoing. Their legal advice apparently suggested it was ‘too risky’.

And the MSA has no compliance powers in cases like this. The federal government also knew the destruction was happening and did not act.

Clearing this grassland destroyed a Critically Endangered ecosystem, home to threatened wildlife. It also robs future residents in Melbourne’s west of a beautiful public reserve to connect with nature.

Our elected representatives need to stop this wanton destruction of what precious few grasslands survive.

We need an overhaul of how compliance with environmental law is enforced. And we need the government to commit to protecting replacement grassland in compensation for what was destroyed as they looked on.