No to horses on beaches
Re access to East Beach Port Fairy for commercial horse training (The Standard, August 10). The Belfast Coastal Reserve, as designated in the final recommendations of the Land Conservation Council (LCC), Final Recommendations 1978, is an area of environmental significance. Port Fairy and Killarney Beaches, both located within the reserve, are popular for locals and tourists for swimming, fishing, surfing, walking, bird watching and other passive recreational pursuits. Many community volunteer hours are invested in caring for this area including: monitoring of and protecting endangered birds such as the hooded plover; monitoring and recording in detail the level and rate of coastal erosion; cleaning the beaches and lower dunes of litter exposed by the sea along the coastline, particularly from the nightsoil depot. These volunteers are committed members of the local community providing an untold number of unpaid hours to protect the coastline for the enjoyment of locals and tourists. Increasing numbers of commercial horse trainers have been using the soft sand at the base of the dune system – the most fragile part of the dune at Killarney for galloping horses and investigations are presently underway to gauge the possibility of moving this activity to East Beach from the edge of the township to Mills Reef i.e. transferring the problem from one area of the Coastal Reserve to another. East Beach is heavily utilised by beach goers throughout the year and it is this iconic environment which contributed to Port Fairy becoming the Most Liveable Small Community. The area is: a fragile environment prone to erosion from high energy wave activity and regular exposure of litter, which has been buried in the dunes; a flocking and breeding area for the hooded plover – last breeding season at least three pairs attempted to breed in this particular area; a site for many shore-birds and migratory birds including the Bar Tailed Godwit; heavily utilised by fishermen, surfers, walkers and families for passive recreation. Commercial horse training is inappropriate and a non-conforming activity within Belfast Coastal Reserve. Given that Moyne Shire has resolved to seek a large investment of funds from government to continue protection of the dune faces in front of the tip sites exposed by beach erosion over the last decade, it is inconceivable and contradictory the same organisation is supporting commercial horse training to use these locations as a training track. The local community is being ignored and excluded from a debate which should not be taking place. It is irresponsible commercial horse training is occurring anywhere within the Belfast Coastal Reserve and DELWP has a responsibility to uphold and enforce the recommendations of the LCC together with Parks Victoria, Moyne Shire and Warrnambool City Council. A long-term and appropriate solution would be for Warrnambool Racing Club and South West Owners and Trainers Association to work with the city council to explore the option of a purpose built soft sand training track as part of the WRC facilities.
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John and Joan Young, Port Fairy
Yes to horses on beaches
Thousands of dollars have been spent on the yellow bellied parrot that no one has seen. Now we have the hooded plover endangered by horses training on Killarney beach. At 90 per cent of the year you can count on one hand the campers at the Killarney caravan park. If the beach entrance was improved and the trainers asked to stay away from the dunes, there would be absolutely no reason why they can't train there. The beach is for everyone, not just a few birds and greenies.
Alan Parker, Toolong
Reinvigorate city shops
As I drive down Liebig Street, I can see too many empty shops and ‘for lease’ signs in the windows. I believe this needs to change. If Warrnambool City Council is working so hard to “revamp” the main street of Warrnambool, shouldn’t they begin by aiming to secure tenants in these shops before the work begins and engage landlords in the discussions? I am sure that the new Liebig Street will look spectacular and will give the town a whole new vibe, I am concerned however that although it may all appear beautiful and new – what will the empty shops do for the new look of the main street of Warrnambool? Something needs to be done.
Bronte McLaren, Warrnambool
Roads need upgrade
It’s time for the Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan to get out of the city. Our roads are at breaking point and the silence from the minister’s office is deafening. As the Minister for Roads, he has a responsibility to ensure the efficiency of the network across the entire state. As the minister for Road Safety, he has the responsibility to ensure Victorians are able to get to work, school and go about their business, but we are at greater risk than others. He has failed at both those tasks in South West Coast. The Minister’s inaction is also putting a big chunk of the state economy at risk. The region’s forestry industry generates $790 million of economic activity alone. But if trucks can’t efficiently get the timber to the Port of Portland where it is exported to the world, that figure is reduced – and it will get lower and lower as road condition gets worse. It’s the same scenario for every other commodity our region produces. I’m extending an invitation to the Minister to visit our region and experience for himself what it’s like to drive on our roads, to see the safety risks our community is exposed to daily. Minister Donnellan, this region needs your urgent attention, please accept my invitation and come and see how bad things are for yourself.
Roma Britnell, Member for South West Coast
Taking stand against fracking
This week the Macarthur and Bessiebelle communities, and also the Gippsland community, held their Declaration Days to celebrate their vote against land based methane gas extraction and fracking. This now totals 75 communities across Victoria that have voted overwhelmingly against their districts being turned into gasland industrial estates. A meeting of the Commonwealth of Australia Heads of Governments (COAG) is due this weekend. Victorians are concerned that the federal government will be pressuring the Victorian Labor Party and the Hon. Wade Noonan, Resources Minister, to dismantle the moratorium on gas mining on land in Victoria. It is a fact that the Coal-Alition government gives more tax payers’ dollars to the fossil fuel corporations than it spends on education and health combined. In return, the fossil fuel industry provides immense amounts to the major parties for expensive TV advertisements in election campaigns. The gas industry is a short-term industry, and it has left permanent pollution in its wake in Queensland and New South Wales. It makes more sense to protect our real “resources” into the future: the water and land that supply food and drinking water for cities and towns. The world is changing fast to clean renewable energy: solar to run homes and cars, and also large scale wind and solar. Despite the fact that Coalition M.P.s, Roma Britnell and Dan Tehan have recently expressed their opposition to fracking for methane gas, it seems that a section of the Coal-Alition government is determined to break the Victoria and Tasmanian moratoriums on gas mining and fracking. A major community concern is that pollution from the over 1,000 toxic chemicals used in fracking will affect people's health in Victoria, as has happened in Queensland and New South Wales, and in the USA. An additional concern is that the heavy metals and radioactive elements released from the rocks during fracking, could eventually affect the purity of foods for Australians and for export to countries that at present value our "clean and green" image. The gas price rises that are expected to affect domestic consumers were forecast a couple of years ago, as the gas corporations have invested billions of dollars on gas infrastructure and will want to charge domestic users the same price as they can get overseas. The corporations want to get their investments refunded from the public purse. Australia has sufficient gas from conventional sources to last for at least thirty years. We do not need to expand the gas industry into Victoria, especially considering the damage the industry has done in Queensland and New South Wales. The gas and coal industries are well on their way to extinction as the world transitions from coal to renewables. We could follow the example of Germany and base our wind turbines off-shore. Investment in solar, wind, ergonomic housing and energy-saving devices would lead to a renewal of industry and jobs in Victoria. It would also preserve the purity of our food exports. Will the Labor Party bow down to the pressure of the Coal-Alition, or will they courageously decide to be truly innovative and scientific and back sustainable energy providers?
Gillian Blair, Panmure
Heritage-listed tank gone
While down at the foreshore with all the other Councilors and prospective candidates I became aware of two males standing to one side waiting to speak with someone. I started to converse with them for a short while when the older of the two informed me he was a model railway enthusiast. I must admit when I was younger I did not own a train set but was envious of those kids who did. Anyhow he informed me that as part his love of his hobby he was very aware of the railway system and most of the sidings, tracks etc. in our local area here in Warrnambool. He said that recently he became aware that a huge heritage-listed water tank had suddenly disappeared from the north side of Wellington Street. He went to the Warrnambool local train station to ask what had happened to the tank. He was informed that a Health and Safety risk from its rusty base had been reported to the railway people which gave rise to concern. My question is can a heritage listed site be de-listed and the item removed without first consulting with some sort of overseeing governing authority or can an authority make a decision off its own back? I know in Scotland that any removal of a listed property would have to be cleared by heritage Scotland before any consideration would be made. Also repairs would have been considered pramoount to the removal.
Apart from the health and safety issue which was the stated reason provided for removing this tank, was there any other request from any other person or company to have the tower removed, further influencing any decision?
It would be good if someone who is in the know could put this issue to rest by providing some information in response to this letter.
It is unfortunate I have not yet been provided with this man’s name but he has assured me the complaint is his own and not influenced by politics.
David MacPhail, Warrnambool
