Peter Walsh
The Great Forest National Park will not go ahead if the Victorian Coalition is elected next year, Nationals leader Peter Walsh has declared. Source: The Weekly Times
“We are not in favour at all of supporting the concept of the Great Forest National Park,” Mr Walsh said.
“At the last election we were opposed to it, and we still are,” he said of the Liberal- National Coalition.
The proposal for 355,000 hectares of protected forests across eastern Victoria’s Central Highlands includes much of Victoria’s native logging coups and has been proposed, in part, to help save the endangered Leadbeater’s Possum.
“Before any discussion about creating new parks, the existing parks need to be maintained better, particularly in terms of pest management and weeds,” Mr Walsh said.
“The timber resource is valuable for jobs and is renewable for furniture, building products and paper,” Mr Walsh said.
“And the Leadbeater’s Possum is nowhere near as threatened as people would have you believe.”
As of June 29, government-owned VicForests reported 649 known Leadbeater’s colonies in Victorian forests.
The Wilderness Society argues the proposed park would attract 400,000 visitors each year, adding more than $70 million to local economies and creating 750 full time jobs.
In 2015, then-Environment Minister Lisa Neville was reported saying she thought the park would become a reality before the 2018 election.
“Yes, I think so. I’m hoping that’s the case, but I also think that will come with a commitment and a plan around the protection of jobs and workers and their families,” Ms Neville said.
But last week the Government would not say if it would approve the GFNP proposal.
“The Government is serious about addressing the future of our environment and our forest industries, and will continue to work with all interested parties who share this goal,” a Government spokesman said.
About 6% of Victoria’s forests are available and suitable for timber harvesting, with VicForests harvests and replants about 3000 hectares or 0.04% of the state’s native forest each year.
“The native forest industry that benefits from our operations within the Central Highlands employs 2117 direct full-time equivalent jobs,” VicForests chief executive Nathan Trushell said.
