Media Releases

The Victorian Coalition Government will deliver a significant $7.9 million boost to Victoria’s regional councils over three years to control pest weeds and rabbits on local roadsides.

Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell said the Coalition accepted the recommendation of the Bailey Report on Roadside Weeds and Pests that councils are best placed to control weeds and rabbits on local roadsides.

“The Government will amend legislation to clarify that councils are responsible for controlling roadside weeds and, importantly, that we will assist them to address the challenge,” Mrs Powell said.

“Funding for regional councils to control roadside weeds and rabbits will more than double under the new initiative from around $1 million per year under Labor up to $2.6 million.

“The Coalition Government is committed to helping keep council rates down by sharing the costs of controlling roadside weeds and pests on local roads,” Mrs Powell said.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said the Government was putting dollars on the table to achieve outcomes.

“Under the former Labor Government infestations of weeds and rabbits spread along municipal roadside because of a lack of funds and legislative confusion,” Mr Walsh said.

“Labor’s road management legislation turned 150 years of weed control practice on its head by making councils the manager of roadsides but denying them the resources to effectively control pests.

“Department of Primary Industries officers were unable to enforce weed control orders on adjoining landholders or councils resulting in roads becoming a haven for pests to spread onto private farming land,” Mr Walsh said.

Mrs Powell and Mr Walsh thanked the members of the Bailey Working Party for their recommendations, especially noting the contribution of the Municipal Association of Victoria and Victorian Farmers Federation.

The Brumby Government has conceded botching the management of roadside weeds and pests with its announcement of extra funding for stricken councils, Shadow Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said today.

Mrs Powell said an additional $500,000 fell excessively short of the real cost incurred by councils tasked with controlling roadside weeds and pests.

“West Wimmera Shire Council received just $2,000 when their actual cost to manage
5,528 kilometres of roadside is $276, 000,” Mrs Powell said.

“The Brumby Government has allocated just $5 million a year for councils to manage roadside weeds and pests when clearly the financial burden on councils is much higher.

“Ever since Labor introduced conflicting legislation in 2004 there has been long-raging debate between landholders, councils and the Brumby Government over who is actually responsible for local roadside weed and pest control.

“Revised legal opinion on the Catchment and Land Protection Act advised that councils, not adjoining landholders, were responsible.”

Mrs Powell said the government then shifted the responsibility and cost of weed control to local councils to shoulder the cost.

“In its latest media release, the Brumby Government claims it ‘recognises the complexities of roadside pest management and (it is) committed to working closely with the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and Local Government’, but Labor’s actions don’t back this up,” Mrs Powell said.

“In November 2009 the government promised to set up a Roadside Pest Working Group to resolve the issue of who is responsible for roadside pests and weeds but eight months on the government is yet to establish this committee, issue its terms of reference, appoint a chairman or even set a date for its first meeting.

“Once again, the Brumby Government has failed local government and the people of Victoria,” Mrs Powell said