Mond

Friday 7July 2006

SYKES: GOVERNMENT SHIFTS RESPONSIBILITY TO COUNCIL

Reports in regional newspapers of $450,000 Department of Sustainability and Environment funding to help local governments tackle weeds on private land have angered The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes.

“DSE has apparently allocated funding to 31 municipal councils to “strengthen partnerships between different levels of government, industry and the community for effective and coordinated weed management,” Dr Sykes said.

“This Bracks Government gobbledegook conceals another blatant attempt by Melbourne Labor to shift State Government responsibility and costs for weed management on to local government.

“It is not a council responsibility to be involved in controlling weeds on private land and never has been.

“This duty lies squarely on the shoulders of the State Government.

“But retrenchments across DPI have taken out so many on-ground weed management officers, there are few people left to do the job.

“This funding has been doled out to councils in a manipulative attempt to get local government to take up responsibility for weeds on private property, when they are already overloaded with State Government fob-offs.

“I simply ask the question: “When is the Bracks Government, whose coffers are loaded, going to face up to its legislated responsibility for weeds, and get about the business of managing them in our State?”

Media contact: Bill Sykes (03) 5762 2100 or 0427 624 989