Poll war on weeds

INCUMBENT La Trobe MP Jason Wood has made an 11th-hour pitch for the green vote in the hills, pledging a re-election commitment of $3 million to bolster the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ battle against invasive weeds.
The fight against weeds has emerged as a key issue for residents in the north of the electorate, with local environmentalists reporting that the iconic landscape of the Dandenong Ranges is being strangled by species such ivy, onion weed, wandering trad and ragwort.
The Liberal Party’s national funding announcement of $30 million over four years is almost double the commitment made by the ALP the previous week, yet the Shire of Yarra Ranges and local environmentalists say they are only interested in funding allocated specifically to the region.
In a bid to lock-in funding from all three tiers of government, Mr Wood said the $3 million three-year pledge was subject to contributions of $1.5 million from the shire and State Government over the same period.
La Trobe Greens candidate Bree Taylor, however, said Mr Wood’s announcement was “too conditional, too little, too late”.
“If the Liberals were serious about addressing weeds, this funding would be unconditional and would have applied three years ago,” she said.
La Trobe ALP candidate Rodney Cocks was asked to respond to Mr Wood’s pledge but he declined to comment.