Parties slammed over environment

By Ed Merrison
A COALITION of green groups has collectively slammed the major parties for turning a blind eye to an ‘environmental catastrophe’ in the region.
The Upper Yarra and Dandenongs Environmental Council (UYDEC), which comprises about 20 local groups, held an emergency meeting on Thursday, 16 November to discuss the ‘neglected’ issue of public land management.
UYDEC spokesman Darcy Duggan was alarmed at how both Labor and Liberal had overlooked the local environment in the election campaign.
“By failing to deal with the problem of public land management they have allowed a whole suite of water-guzzling weeds to run rampant in this area,” he said.
Mr Duggan said weeds took up water that would be running into catchments and made land less resilient to climate change.
He said government funding for land management was shrinking year on year while the problem was heading towards crisis point.
Mr Duggan said climate change and water shortages had finally placed the environment on the agenda but said the major parties only looked at public land management from a superficial standpoint. “There’s none so blind as those who don’t want to see,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed by the lack of action we’re taking and the backwards direction in which we’re heading.”