Home › Blogs › admin's blog

Brumby’s 10/30 plan will decimate our bushland villages

Mon, 07/09/2009 - 11:31 — admin

Premier Brumby’s announcement to encourage wholesale “as of right” clearing by land owners of all vegetation along fence lines trees and with 10 metres of houses has the potential to denude areas of great environmental significance and beauty in the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Nillumbik, Mornington Peninsula and all over country Victoria.

 
“Mr Brumby wants to be seen to be doing something about bushfire safety” Louis Delacretaz, spokesperson for the Living with the Bush Coalition said today. “But he has ignored other factors, such as the positive role vegetation can play a in protecting a property and its residents from bushfires.
 
“CSIRO evidence to the Royal Commission says that vegetation can reduce the windspeed lessening the intensity of a bushfires. Vegetation can also trap embers protecting house from attack, which is the primary cause for how most houses burn down in bushfires.
 
“Ignoring these factors and relying so heavily on land-clearing for fire protection could prove fatal to people for whom this may provide a false sense of security, ” said Mr Delacretaz a resident of a heavily forested part of Sassafras, in the Dandenong Ranges..
 
“The Bushfire Royal Commission interim report did not recommend these as of right clearing, changes to the planning scheme in the lead up to this year’s fire season,” he said. “On Black Saturday, the fire raced across paddocks without any vegetation to burn houses”.
 
The new rules will allow the clearing without a permit of all vegetation including trees within 10 metres of a home, along fence lines to 4 metres and lower vegetation to 30 metres of their house. These clearing rights pertain to all of Victoria except the 20 Melbourne metropolitan councils, regardless of their topography, and other factors affecting fire risk. .
 
“Many house blocks in the Dandenong Ranges are less than 10 metres apart, so you can imagine what is going to remain of the Dandenongs if this is allowed to happen” Mr Delacretaz said. “ The existing provisions for fire protection clearing (clearing of trees overhanging, 50% of shrubs to 30 metres) were based on scientific research into what works, understanding of what will make your house safer, such as the removal of fine fuel lying on the ground, and some understorey.
 
The Living with the Bush Coalition has formed to bring together the many residents and environmental and community groups in Victoria concerned about the impact of the government’s decision on Victoria’s remaining bushland..
 
We call on communities and councils in country Victoria to work together to protect what is left of our native vegetation and to consider whether their needs may be better served by other fire-protection strategies proposed by agencies such as CSIRO as listed on our website.
 
“We believe that human welfare and the environment both need better protection than they are getting from this government,” said Mr Delacretaz. Coming after decisions to approve the Frankston Bypass and to hand over for urban development 41,000 hectares of Melbourne’s green wedges, this marks the Brumby Government as the most environmentally irresponsible in living memory.
 
For comment or information go to www.livingwiththebush.org or
contact:Louis Delacretaz (Sassafras resident) 0407 300 188