If you have an interest in the use and management of public lands throughout Victoria, you will be interested in the work of the VLA. 

Victorian Lands Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of stakeholder groups who use public land for sustainable recreational and commercial purposes.

The interest in the establishment of a peak public land user group is not new.  A Public Land Utilisation Committee existed for about a decade in the 1970's.  The Public Land Council operated from 1987 until 2005.

A public land alliance which concentrates on a policy framework and the implementation of existing government policy in relation to public land management can give a voice to communities, individuals and groups committed to better public land management.

Become a VLA supporter today:  Following repeated requests from a number of individuals who were not affiliated with any particular group or organisation to become members of the VLA we have made available the opportunity to become a 'Supporter of the VLA'.  Simply download the supporter registration form from the 'Support VLA' page and send it to us as outlined. 

 

Environment groups are campaigning to end forestry, to stop grazing trials in the high country and extend marine parks - all of which they are entitled to do.  But whose money are they using to fund these activities?  Chris Kenny from The Australian provides some answers.

"No taxpayer can have missed the growing green agenda and its influence on government priorities. Certainly few will have failed to notice the billions of dollars of public money wasted on green policy failures such as the home insulation handouts and the botched solar panel rebate scheme. The green agenda broadly affects government spending, from an emphasis on bike lanes over new roads to mandated levels of expensive renewable electricity. Much of this receives adequate public scrutiny and debate, but many of the green grants dispersed by governments across Australia occur away from the public gaze.

Groups such as Friends of the Earth, the Wilderness Society, the Environmental Defender's Offices and the Australian Conservation Foundation are well known to the public for campaigning against developments such as dams and industries such as coal mining, and engaging in robust debate about government climate change policies. What the public won't be aware of is these groups all receive taxpayer funding.

In effect, taxpayers are unwittingly funding political campaigns that unswervingly support a green, anti-development and, many would argue, anti-jobs agenda."

Victorian government MP, Philip Davis was highly critical in parliament on March 2nd of claims made in The Age newspaper of the limited grazing trial in the high country to reduce bushfire fuel loads.

"In relation to the allegations made on 5 February 2011 in the Saturday Age, the department [DSE] initiated an inquiry about their validity, and in a draft report it stated that it had found they did not stand up. The department undertook validation of the report by various means. It had a scientific expert undertake a site inspection to map the location of the study against habitat mapping of the area, and it also sought expert local knowledge."

Mr Davis also noted that: "Much has been made by Dr Henrik Wahren and Dr Dick Williams about the notion that cattle cannot possibly contribute to fuel reduction in the high country simply because of what they eat.  Harm van Rees was at one point a masters student involved with the University of Melbourne. He was part of the then School of Agriculture and Forestry and supervised a significant research trial in the 1980s in relation to cattle on the high plains."

His research showed: "The large component of shrubs in the diet of cattle was an interesting result as it indicates that cattle may be playing a regulatory role in controlling the rate of shrub growth on the high plains."

Mr Davis in parliament highlighted that this research had been ignored by the previous government and media.

Mr Davis was also critical of a visit by federal environment minister Tony Burke and environment groups to one of the trial grazing sites in late February.  Significant degradation of the area occurred [pictured above] through the thoughtless driving practices of the federal minister's convoy.

The VLA hosted a forum on public land management issues in Melbourne on September 8th,  bringing together many stakeholders involved in the management and use of public land to discuss some of the main issues and how they might be addressed.

Speakers addressed the forum on:

• Managing our forest resource
• Managing parks into the future
• A new direction in fire management
• Prescribed burning on public land
• Grazing and high country management
• Policy and public land
• Water yield and fire
• Our biodiversity future
• A new paradigm for national parks
• A new way forward in management of State Game Reserves

Minister for the Environment & Climate Change, Gavin Jennings spoke of the need to find a balance in the implementation of the government's new direction in fire management between the need to protect communities and biodiverstiy, while minimising the impacts of prescribed burning on the community.  Questions to the Minister had a common theme of the need for more inclusive community engagement on land management issues.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Country Water Resources, Peter Walsh reiterated the Coalition's policy commitment to give public land managers the option of utilising controlled grazing as a fuel management tool.  He also advised attendees that the Tradional Owners Settlement legislation currently before the parliament could have serious implications for those who use public land.

Parks Victoria CEO, Mark Stone's presentation detailed the determined effort PV was making to engage with stakeholder groups in a collaborative manner and to maximise tourism opportunities for communities adjacent to park reserves.

Phil Ingamells from the Victorian National Parks Association highlighted the importance of biodiversity conservation and queried the wisdom in the adoption of the prescribed burning target by the government.  Phil pointed out the complex task facing fire managers in catering to the best needs of the varied ecosystems whilst implementing an increased prescribed burn program. 

VLA secretary Max Rheese spoke on the need to re-examine what the community wants from further reservation of public land under the current 'one-size fits all' model, now that more than half of all public land in Victoria is reserved in the national parks estate.  Both Max, and Phil from VNPA, argued that better funding of public land management was essential to achieve community expectations.

An Open Forum was the closing session of the day with a free exchange of ideas causing us to run over time. 

The VLA was very pleased with the outcomes of the forum and will analyse the input and follow up on ideas presented.

MINISTER BURKE SINGLES OUT VICTORIA FOR FEDERAL INTERVENTION

Federal environment minister Tony Burke has implemented new regulations to try to prevent grazing as a bushfire fuel mitigation tool in the Alpine National Park.  When the new regulations were first mooted they were to apply to grazing, timber harvesting and mining in parks in all states, but now have singled out grazing only in just the Alpine National Park.

Minister Burke has still not advised what his solution to fuel management in national parks will be.

MINISTER BURKE OVERSTEPS THE MARK INTERFERING IN NATIONAL PARKS

Federal and state environment ministers met in Canberra in mid September to discuss a range of issues regarding their portfolios.  Federal environment minister Tony Burke would not even allow his proposed interference in state management of national parks to be listed on the agenda, let alone discuss the issue.

VLA believes all of the states were opposed to the concept of federal interference in state management of parks.  Given Victoria's stated intention of resuming strategic grazing trials in the high country for bushfire fuel mitigation and Minister Burke's intention to thwart that process, the meeting would have been an excellent forum to discuss the issue.

GOVERNMENT WORKING TO PLUG THE GAPS IN FIRE RESPONSE

The Baillieu government will this week introduce a package of measures designed to clear up anomalies exposed by the bushfire royal commission.

DSE TO BOOST BURNS

THE Victorian Government plans to burn 225,000ha of forest this season in its bid to hit an annual rolling target of 390,000ha by 2014.

It is a huge task, given the Department of Sustainability and Environment fell just short of its 2010-11 target of 200,000ha, burning out 188,000ha last season.

POURING COLD WATER ON A RED-HOT ISSUE

Failure to perform adequate hazard reduction of bushfire-prone areas to remove fuel has long been identified as a major factor in out-of-control conflagrations.

Now comes an extraordinarily sophisticated surveillance device that can detect the whiff of smoke from as far away as 60km, and allow fire crews to extinguish a blaze before it runs out of control.

Despite the fact the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund has enough money to allocate $80 million to walking tracks and bike paths, FireWatch can’t find anyone willing to stump up the $75,000 needed for further independent trials. 

 

FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT MINISTER WANTS TO CONTROL VICTORIAN PARKS

Federal environment minister Tony Burke has stepped up his rhetoric on the management of Victorian national parks by threatening to introduce controls that overide decisions made by the Victorian government.  Unhappy that the Victorian minister has instigated a strategic grazing research trial for bushfire fuel reduction, Minister Burke has foreshadowed he will block any attempt to resume the trials in Spring 2011.

GREEN CAMPAIGNERS WONT ACCEPT ANY NATIVE FOREST HARVESTING

Green groups and the Shire of Yarra Ranges have implemented boycotts on Reflex paper manufactured by Australian Paper because it is made from timber sourced in Victorian forests.  It is ironic that many ratepayers of the Shire of Yarra Ranges are directly employed in or supported by Victoria's timber industry.

False claims that plantation timber can supply all requirements of the Victorian community are the only justification put forward for the boycott.

But Furniture Australia, the peak industry group, has warned that the net effect of the campaign will be job losses.  In an article in The Australian General Manager, Rohan Wright said ""The guys are willing to say things that are patently untrue".

 

VIC FORESTS PROTECTING VICTORIA'S GIANTS

As part of VicForests ongoing forest management, forest scientist Dr Michael Ryan announced the protection of Victoria's largest known Messmate under the Giant Tree Protection Policy.

SHORT MEMORIES COURT DISASTER

Two articles in a Dandenong Ranges newspaper illustrate how quickly some people forget the recently much discussed issues that caused grief on Black Saturday.  Fuel reduction and native vegetation too close to houses.

Fortunately Parks Victoria are sticking to their program determined after Black Saturday

FISHING LICENCE FEES HELP RESTOCK EILDON

The Victorian Government released 30,000 Murray cod fingerlings into Lake Eildon on January 27th as part of its commitment to restock the lake with an additional one million fish.

Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh said Lake Eildon was being stocked thanks to an $800,000 project funded by fishing licence fees.

"One million cod will be released over three years, in addition to the 50,000 a year already being released," Mr Walsh said.

CATTLE RETURN TO THE HIGH COUNTRY

As promised prior to the recent state election the Victorian government has reintroduced a limited number of cattle to the high country in a trial to determine their value as a fuel reduction tool.  Reluctance by public land managers to undertake prescribed burning over elevations of 1200m leaves the only other option -  grazing, as a means of minimising the impact of bushfire.  ABC Gippsland interviewed Mark Coleman, president of the Mountain Cattlemens Association.

 

GREENS PLAN FOR CAMPAIGN TO END ALL NATIVE FORESTRY

The Australian has obtained a strategy paper prepared for the Wilderness Society outlining a $1 million-plus campaign to push for an agreement to end logging in native forests nationwide based on "the role of forests in dealing with climate change".

 

CAMPAIGN AGAINST TIMBER HARVESTING HITS NEW LOW OF MISINFORMATION

A recently aired item on Channel 7 news expressed alarm at the prospect of timber harvesting in the Central Highlands forests that would threaten the endangered Leadbeaters possum.

The footage in the news clip shows a tree, several hundred years old claimed to be under threat that would be ideal habitat for the possum.  The only trouble is the tree is located in a Special Protection Zone declared by VicForests for the reason of protecting it.

The environment groups making the claims apparently are ignorant of this very salient point. 

A letter printed in The Age Forest Giants at risk,  clearly linked to the same issue also claimed that 300- 500 year old trees would be harvested, whereas the long standing Forest Management Plan for Central Highlands states " Ash eucalypt trees established prior to 1900 will not be harvested."

False claims without any basis in fact only undermine the rapidly diminishing credibility of those campaigning to close down Victoria's sustainable timber industry.

 

OPPOSITION TO STATE PARK PROPOSAL FOR WOMBAT FOREST

A campaign by Melbourne based environment groups to turn the current Wombat state forest into a state park is meeting with opposition from the local Friends of Wombat Forest group and other locals.

Recent attempts by some of the same groups involved to turn Mt Cole state forest into a state park were squashed by the government.

LINK to article

ANGLERS FEAR GREENS PARK PLAN FOR COASTLINE

Greens MP Greg Barber said yesterday his party would push for up to 30 per cent of Victoria's coastline to be covered by marine parks.

In Victoria, the Labor government recently rejected a recommendation from the Victorian National Parks Association to create marine parks covering 20 per cent of coastline by 2012.   LINK to article

 

GOVT ADOPTS RECOMMENDATION ON PRESCRIBED BURNING

On August 27th 2010 the Victorian government announced it would implement a program of prescribed burning of five per cent of public land [385,000 hectares] on an annual basis.  The program would start with a target of 200,000 hectares this year and increase over the following four years.

The announcement reflects almost exactly the recommendation put to the government by the VLA over the last two years. 

The announcement also included an extra 170 permanent fire fighting staff for DSE.

The recommendation accepted by the government was supported by ecologists, fire researchers, fire fighters and land managers and is welcomed by the VLA.

 

KEY STEPS IN MINIMISING BUSHFIRE RISK

In the wake of the royal commission report, the VLA has called on the government to make fire management the No.1 priority of the Department of Sustainability and Environment to end the confusion over priorities and competing objectives in land management. 

LINK  to pdf paper: Key Steps in Minimising Bushfire Risk

 

BUSHFIRES ROYAL COMMISSION REPORT RELEASED SATURDAY JULY 31

The Bushfires Royal Commission has released its final report which can be viewed here

The government will not make a final response to the inquiry's recommendations until several weeks later in August.  LINK to article

LINK to Judgement looms

 

PASSAGE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET LEGISLATION THIS WEEK WILL SEE BIG GROWTH IN VICTORIAN WIND FARM PROJECTS

Landholders and communities are bracing for a surge in applications for new wind farms following amended legilslation passing the Senate this week.  Ed Gannon from the Weekly Times writes of what may be in store.

 

AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT ON CONTROL OF INVASIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS IN VICTORIA'S PARKS     MAY 2010

This recent report [see pdf link below] tabled by the Victorian Auditor General in the parliament is testament to the need for a new model of management for our national and state parks.

While the auditor general acknowledges that "good progress has been made in managing some invasive species in some parks" he notes "if resource contraints are not addressed, invasive species will continue to pose a major and likely growing threat to Victorian parks."

Resource constraints are unlikely to be addressed this year with only a 6% rise in budget funding over expenditure last year.  This amounts to only $10m in extra funding for all management activities in Victoria's parks.

Given that four new red gum national parks in northern Victoria, exceeding 100,000 hectares are to be proclaimed in this budget year, the extra $10m in operating expenditure will likely leave Parks Victoria in a worse position to address the concerns of the auditor general.

This goes to the core dilemma of continually increasing the size of the national park estate without adequate operational funding to meet community expectations.

VLA BUSHFIRE SURVEY

To collect your feedback and ideas on land management and fire issues an online survey form has been created.  Look for the Bushfire Survey tab on the left hand side of this webpage.

The Victorian government needs to be aware of what Victorians think and what action they want taken on these issues so encourage your friends, family and neighbours to complete the 10 questions on the survey form.

You can send the following link in an email to your friends

VLA BUSHFIRE SURVEY

It is important the survey is well supported so your voice is heard.

 

NEW REPORT DETAILS THE RESEARCH TO SUPPORT PRESCRIBED BURNING

The VLA has prepared this comprehensive, highly referenced report that includes 27 case studies showing the beneficial effect previously burnt areas have on controlling bushfires and lessening their impact on the environment.

Anatomy of a bushfire

Click on link below: Review of the effectiveness of fuel reduction burning

GREATER ALPINE NATIONAL PARKS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Have your say and help guide the future of Victoria's National Parks.

Simply log on to the special section of the Parks Victoria website to have your voice heard.  Details and contact link are shown on the 'Our Work' page of this site to assist you.

BUSHFIRE PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

The recent parliamentary inquiry into the impact of land management practices on bushfires is perhaps a good example of individual organisations involved in use of public land that did not participate in this process - although a minority did.  The recommendations from the inquiry and the subsequent implementation of those recommendations will have a profound effect on the management of public land into the future, but few organisations will have the time or resources to focus on this process.

Victorian Lands Alliance can give your group a voice on an issue!

 

On November 12th 2010  The government announced it would implement a stakeholder forum to formulate a recommendation to govenment on the future management of Victoria's forests

Brumby makes pledge on state forests

On August 27th  2010 The government announced that it would undertake a program of prescribed burning of 5 per cent of public land saying  "We accept that we need to substantially increase the level of fuel reduction burning to make our state safer," Mr Brumby said on Friday.

Victoria to increase prescribed burning

On March 31st  2010  For a topic so seemingly controversial up until now, there was surprisingly a lot of agreement in the hearing room during the six days of evidence on fuel reduction burning in the Victorian Bushfires Commission.

Jane Cowan reports on fuel reduction evidence by the expert panel

On March 18th  2010 The Premier issued a media release on the current planned prescribed burning and stated: “We live in one of the world’s most fire-prone areas and fuel reduction is essential to reducing the fire-risk in many parts of our state."

Fire crews on track for record Autumn planned burns [see pdf file below]

On February 23rd 2010  The Bushfires Royal Commission released a Summary of Discussion by its Expert Panel on Fuel Reduction

Summary of Panel Discussion [pdf file below]

On February 22nd 2010 The Bushfires Royal Commission heard unequivocal evidence from its Land and Fire Management expert panel that Victoria's prescribed burning program should be immediately increased "to reduce the risk to environmental values" and protect communities.

The unanimous endorsement of an increase to between 5% and 10% of treatable public land goes further than the major recommendation of the 2008 parliamentary inquiry which called for a tripling of the program.

Commission expert panel begs to differ

 

On February 17th 2010 After compelling evidence at the Bushfires Royal Commission, ABC's Jane Cowan prepared this analysis of recent events.

LINK to article

On December 7th 2009 Peter Hunt, senior writer for the Weekly Times asked: Are We Ready For The Fire Season?

The Victorian Government and CFA have put enormous effort into community meetings, advertising campaigns and mailing tens of thousands of FireReady Kits to households in these towns.

Yet I suspect fewer than half these households have used the templates provided in these kits to write down their plan, with fewer still rehearsing them.

LINK to article

On October 6th 2009 evidence given at the Bushfires Royal Commission by DSE Officer Shaun Lawlor clearly articulated that the Murrindindi fire intensity was lowered by the effects of previous burning in the area.  Mr Lawlor gave similar evidence about the Mudgegonga fire at commission hearings in Myrtleford.  Experienced fire officers clearly stating that prescribed burning has a beneficial effect on bushfire behaviour and a reduction in the environmental effects from reduced fire intensity.

LINK to article

On September 16th 2009 it was revealed that the Victorian government was diverting 64,000 megalitres of water earmarked for environmental flows in northern Victoria to Melbourne.  Some of this water was to be used on drought stressed red gum forests that the government said must be turned into national parks to help protect them! 

The Premier said on December 30th 2008 whilst announcing the four new national parks that decimated the red gum timber industry in northern Victoria “Climate change and drought mean the River Red Gums are in trouble, with estimates that as many as 75 per cent of trees on some stretches of the Murray are either dead or dying.”

The red gums are either in trouble or they are not.  If they are, as stated by the Premier, give them the environmental water to which they are entitled instead on siphoning it off for Melbourne.

This now means significant threats [Mr Holding's words] to the environmental values of the Thomson, Yarra, Goulburn and Murray Rivers have been unleashed by the government to give Melbourne a few more days water.

 

 

 

 

 

No Fuel No Fire community meetings are being held all over Victoria.  See the Campaigns page for the location that is closest to where you live.

If your district is not currently listed contact us to register your interest in holding a meeting in your area.

Black Saturday could happen again

VLA secretary, Max Rheese writing in The Australian notes many of the same conditions as last year still apply.

"Victoria faces another February with many of the same underlying bleak fire tragedy conditions faced on Black Saturday: drought, hotter average temperatures and a further build-up of forest fuels from an unchanged prescribed-burning target."

Black Saturday could happen again

What people have been thinking but no one said until now.....

The Black Saturday inquiry reveals the lethal arrogance of bureaucrats who think they know better than local communities, contends Tony Cutcliffe.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25680664-7583,00.html

A recent article in The Australian  reflects on proceedings at the Royal Commission

When the heat is on, bushfire bureaucrats duck for cover

See Damning Analysis by Jane Cowan on the News Page.  Analysis Part 2 posted on News Page December 24th

 

On February 7th 2009, 173 Victorians died in the worst bushfire disaster in Australian history.  On Black Saturday, as the day became known, families were torn apart, countless homes and buildings reduced to rubble, 430,000 hectares destroyed in an unstoppable sea of flames.

Veteran journalist, Roger Franklin has written a book titled inferno which is now available in bookshops.

The narrative brings to life individual tales of horror and heroism, recounts the devastation of Kinglake, Marysville and other besieged Victorian towns.  It also highlights the failings that magnified this unprecedented tragedy.  Communication breakdowns, inadequate warning systems and bush left unburnt for years, steadily accumulating more and more fuel.

Inferno is an indepth account of the major fires on Black Saturday and their effect on communities.  Easy to read narrative that is highly recommended.

 

 

The most compelling Bushfire Report in Victoria with the possible exception of the Parliamentary Envronment and Natural Resources Committee Inquiry tabled in parliament in June 2008, the Peoples Review is the voice of the people.

Download the report on our Publications Page.

 

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON FIRE MANAGEMENT

An article by forester, Mark Poynter published at Online Opinion on September 16th

Fuel reduction burning - misunderstood and irrationally maligned

 

The VLA has lodged a comprehensive submission to the Royal Commission which amongst other things looks at the effects of current public land management on particular communities and Victoria's history of fuel reduction burning.

These are just two facets of the many threads interwoven into the management of the 32% of Victoria that is public land.

Sustainable forestry operations, seasonal cattle grazing, recreation, bee keeping and many other uses of public land need to be considered to bring about a new paradigm of public land management that is more inclusive and produces better environmental outcomes than we have achieved in recent times.

Click on link here to download the submission.