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Government heads visit local environment

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Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group (CMEFG)

Over the last two weeks Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group (CMEFG) has engaged on-ground managers of federal and state government departments responsible for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, federal and state environmental water and its delivery, and the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA).

CMEFG
Passionate voices were heard during the five and a half hour tour of the Gunbower Forest and surrounding farmland. Photo: CMEFG.

During the weekend, the group hosted Andrew Sharpe, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, and Brad Drust CEO, and Rachel Murphy, Environment Manager for North Central Catchment Management Authority, on a five and half hour tour of the Gunbower Forest and surrounding farmland.

Passionate community angst was voiced continually throughout the day about present management of the forest contra to what has been publicly written and posted by government departmental staff.

Discussion centred around the lack of community engagement by these departments which appear to do what they want with total disregard to community input or the environment.

NCCMA Community Reference Group members, some of which are CMEFG members representing our community’s interests, had been left out of recent major discussions, therefore having their local knowledge and advice disregarded.

CMEFG was surprised by the managers’ lack of knowledge of the forest. Many questions raised by the locals throughout the day could not be answered. These were regarding different places visited and what was visually occurring within the forest.

It was obvious to all on the tour that the forest is suffering, and the managers agreed they weren’t getting everything right. Trees on adjacent farmland looked healthy, but in the forest many areas supporting high tree densities were suffering under competition from one another. 

Geoff Kendell, CMEFG Chair, said, “It was good to have the managers travel with us on the weekend and listen to the community concerns. 

“We hope that, now these people have been shown, they go away and ask pertinent questions of their staff and make serious changes to the way they do future business, especially in the delivery of environmental water.

“It is imperative that in the future they engage with their local representatives in a more constructive way, sourcing the community’s vast intimate on-ground knowledge and experiences while trying to achieve positive outcomes in a timely manner.”

CMEFG member, Jode Hay, said that, “A more holistic reporting of all outcomes, both positive and negative, from environmental watering events and projects was needed, in order to rebuild the local community’s trust in the responsible organisations.

“I also hope that in the future, the entire environment is considered as an opportunity to enhance native fauna and flora species, as opposed to the current practice of most of the funding, resources and monitoring being done on less than 14% of the region.”

The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper 3 June 2021

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 3 June 2021.

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