The debate on Victorian high country strategic grazing trials re-ignited in July when federal environment minister Tony Burke flagged federal intervention into the management of national parks currently controlled by the states.

The Victorian government promised mountain cattlemen prior to the 2010 state election they would re-introduce grazing in the high country as a bushfire mitigation tool.  In January 2011 the first trial began, with just 400 cattle over six sites in the 600,000 hectare Alpine National Park, as part of a six year trial to provide data for research to determine if grazing could assist with bushfire fuel reduction.

In early April, Minister Burke and some sections of the media were in full flight regarding the small and targeted grazing trial undertaken in Victoria's high country to determine if grazing was an aid to fuel reduction.  Methods of fuel reduction are particularly pertinent above 1200 metres in elevation as land managers are reluctant to undertake prescribed burning above this elevation.

Minister Burke and some media have been labouring to give the impression the trial does not have widespread support while politicking on the issue without offering any solutions.

Minister Burke has been very quick to tell all and sundry what he is opposed to, but has not told anybody what measures he would support to protect the environment from bushfires. 

Federal environment minister Tony Burke announced on April 6th that he would again inspect the Alpine National Park grazing trial.  The minister's recent visit to the high country with environmental campaigners caused significant damage to rain soaked tracks on a whirlwind one hour visit that amused their invited media contingent.

The minister will further ingratiate himself with those opposed to the grazing trials by travelling to Melbourne to speak at a public meeting opposing the trial.

The minister appears unaware that the expectation is he will take the views of all parties in environmental issues into consideration as he has never requested a meeting with those supporting the trials or articulated how bushfire fuel reduction might take place in the high country.

With the election of the Baillieu Coalition government many are looking forward to the utilisation of seasonal, controlled cattle grazing as a management tool for land managers.

Not all areas of public land are suitable for broad-scale prescribed burning to reduce fuel loads with some areas of the high country and fire sensitive red gum forests just two such land types.

Various green groups have called on the Victorian government to halt timber harvesting in Melbourne's water catchments despite a 150 year history of supplying timber producsts to meet the needs of Victorians. 

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that less than 300 hectares of a 154,000 hectare catchment is harvested in any one year, which would take more than 500 years to complete one harvesting rotation of the catchment, by which time the first area harvested would be again mature forest.

The reality of course is fire will have altered the structure of the catchment forests before such a rotation was complete. 

The 2009 Black Saturday fires damaged more catchment forest hectares in a few days than  decades of harvesting could ever do.

In Victoria, the utimate determinant of forest structure is bushfire, not timber harvesting.  Well intentioned environmentalists are campaigning against the wrong demons.

A local campaign in central Victoria to keep the Mt Cole and Pyrenees Ranges reserved as multiple use state forest for community access has been successful. 

Minister for Agriculture and local MP, Joe Helper announced on Thursday October 21st "The Mount Cole State Forest is an environmental and community asset and the Brumby Labor Government will ensure it remains that way."

The royal commission has conducted an exhaustive investigation into fire management practices assisted by its expert panel of fire researchers and ecologists to conclude with recomendations on prescribed burning supported by the VLA.

The commission recommendation on prescribed burning, of a minimum of 5 per cent of the public land in Victoria,  reflects our proposals to the government exactly.

The commission recommendations on roadside fuel-management also closely reflect the motions passed at a series of public meetings held throughout Victoria by the VLA and sent to the government.

"The Commission views protection of human life and the safety of communities as the highest priority for bushfire policy."  Royal Commission report July 31st 2010.

This statement was repeated a number of times throughout the commission report and aligns with a statement by Judge Leonard Stretton in the 1939 royal commission that

"The paramount concern of the forest manager must be fire management"

Both of these statements reinforce the VLA call to the Victorian government to recognise and state that:  Fire management must be the No.1 priority of the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

The Victorian Lands Alliance would like to sincerely thank all those who supported our campaign to re-introduce a realistic prescribed burning program to Victoria.

To the many people who attended our public meetings, presenters at those meetings and those who donated to our campaign and all who completed the on-line Bushfire Survey - Thank You!

The announcement by the government on August 27th that they accepted the recommendation to implement a prescribed burning program of five per cent of public land, to be implemented in stages, reflects almost exactly the recommendations put by the VLA over the last two years.      

It needs to be acknowledged that not all in the community yet see the value in restoring cool burning in the bush back to the levels of the early 1980's and the govenment undoubtedly took this into account before making their welcome decision.