In the lead up to the Victorian State election, the Gippsland Forest Guardians have reached out to our local candidates, to hear their views on the things that matter to the GFG community.

We received answers from Danny O’Brien (Nationals), Amy Barry-Macaulay (Labor), Zavier Evans (Greens) and Phillip Shuhman (Independent). We did not receive a response from Bianca Wilke (One Nation) or Lachie McGennisken (Victorian Socialists). 

The summary of each response and commentary were created by us, the candidate’s own responses are provided in full below.

Our questions

If you are elected:

• What are the top three things you would fund to protect the natural environment in our electorate?
• What would you do to ensure HVP complies with the Section 69 Agreement?
• What is the single most important thing you would do in your first year to protect the natural environment of the Strzelecki Ranges, and what measurable outcome would you aim to achieve?

Summary of responses:

Danny O’Brien (Nationals)

1. He would fund Landcare and community-led conservation, weed and pest animal control, and more resources for public land management, including frontline staff, biodiversity monitoring and fire management.
2. He expects HVP to meet its legal obligations and would work with the Minister to have its compliance monitored, with enforcement action and remedial work where breaches are established.
3. His priority is better active management of the Strzelecki Ranges, covering weeds, pest animals, fire risk and significant habitat, with adequate resources and clear accountability for on-ground work.

What We Like: We welcome the intention to provide funding for crucial work, such as community-lead conservation and biodiversity monitoring, which is otherwise left to volunteers.  

Amy Barry-Macaulay (Labor)

1. She would push for stronger protection of native forests, more funding for Biolinks mapping and Landcare revegetation, and support for farmers to adopt sustainable practices.
2. She would work with the Minister, DEECA, HVP and GFG to hold HVP to account for any breach, secure rectification, and agree a process for ongoing monitoring and enforcement.
3. She would bring stakeholders together as a Gippsland Environmental Coalition to co-design a 10-year plan for the long-term protection of the Strzelecki Ranges.

What We Like: Offers a long-term plan for the Strzelecki Ranges; clear on important protections for forests, has an awareness of projects already underway

Zave Evans (Greens)

1. He would fund independent research into the effects of fire and planned burns, better-resourced local government and regulation to protect threatened species and link habitat, and biodiversity education.
2. He sees compliance as a matter for DEECA, but would push for a stronger conservation regulator to hold private companies like HVP to account.
3. He would support regrowth forest maturing to old growth, and offer incentives for revegetation and conservation covenants on private land, to link fragmented habitat through projects like the Prom Coast Ecolink.

What We Like: Better resourced local government as the regulator; stronger conservation regulator. Advocates for connectivity across the landscape, and allowing regrowth to mature to old-growth – these are good things for biodiversity.

Philip Shuhman (Independent)

1. He would fund GFG to report independently on the Section 69 area, map old-growth remnants with 2–5 km buffer zones around them, and remove pines, weeds, deer and other pest animals.
2. He would fund GFG to gather independent evidence of any breach, bypassing the Minister, and use it to hold the government publicly accountable.
3. He named weed and pest animal eradication, with GFG keeping photo and satellite records of the work as proof that the funding was well spent.

What We Like: Sees a role for GFG, and acknowledges the importance of significant buffer zones around old-growth remnant forests

Full answers

Danny O’Brien (Nationals)

Dear Victoria and the GFG team,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your questions and for the work your volunteers undertake to understand and care for Gippsland’s forests.

I value our region’s natural environment and support practical measures to protect biodiversity and threatened species. I also strongly support a sustainable Victorian timber industry and the regional jobs and communities it sustains. I believe responsible forestry and environmental protection can coexist, supported by sound science, clear rules and effective land management.

Consistent with The Victorian Nationals’ advocacy, my priorities for investment to protect the natural environment in Gippsland South are:

●      Landcare and community-led conservation: Greater funding certainty for Landcare facilitators and support for local volunteers undertaking habitat restoration, revegetation and waterway improvement.

●      Weed and pest animal control: Practical, coordinated control across public and private land to protect native vegetation and wildlife and support neighbouring landholders.

●      Active public land management: Adequate resources for frontline staff, biodiversity monitoring and evidence-based fire management to protect both our environment and local communities.

With respect to Section 69 Agreement, I expect all forestry operators to comply with their legal obligations and the State Government to fulfil its monitoring and enforcement responsibilities.

Whether in government or opposition, I will continue to work with the responsible Minister to ensure any concerns are properly assessed and HVP’s compliance is monitored.

This would include reviewing the agreement’s requirements, any relevant consents and the evidence provided by your group, alongside HVP’s response.

Where breaches are established, the responsible department is expected to take appropriate enforcement action and require any necessary remedial work.

My priority is, and will remain, better active management of the Strzelecki Ranges, with attention to weeds, pest animals, fire risk and the protection of significant habitat.

If re-elected, I will continue to pursue these priorities with the responsible Minister and land-management agencies, drawing on the knowledge of local landholders, community groups and forestry operators. Whether in government or opposition, I will press for adequate resources and clear accountability for on-ground work.

Suggested social media summary

“My priorities are practical conservation, stronger public land management and compliance with environmental obligations, alongside support for a sustainable Victorian timber industry and regional jobs.”

Thank you again for your email and for the opportunity to respond.

Amy Barry-Macaulay (Labor)

Hi Victoria,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your questions. My answers are below.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or wish to discuss.

Warmest regards,

Amy

--- Amy Barry-Macaulay response to Gippsland Forest Guardians ---

What are the top three things you would fund to protect the natural environment in our electorate?

I do not support the clearing of native forests for the planting and logging of non-indigenous species. It was the Labor government that introduced the ban on native forest logging on public land, which was a great step forward for the protection of our environment. However, there is still work to be done. If elected, I would work with my Labor colleagues to strengthen protections of our native forests and promote more sustainable and regenerative forestry practices. Alongside a renewed focus on ensuring appropriate environmental protections, I would also work with my colleagues and government departments to drive world class, sustainable and community-focussed forest management.

The work that has been completed by South Gippsland Landcare to map flora and fauna Biolinks provides important data and a strong foundation for facilitating targeted planting and effective re-habitation programs. This work also provides strong data and evidence for planning and development purposes. If elected, I would be highlighting the many benefits of Biolinks mapping that can help improve environmental outcomes and impacts as well as support better State and local government decision-making. I would recommend further funding for Biolink mapping across Victoria and accompanying funding for organisations (such as Landcare) working on re-vegetation and re-habitation efforts.

I am a strong supporter of sustainable agriculture. As a daughter of farmers and business owners, I understand the important role of Gippsland agriculture in our community and economy. There are some great examples of sustainable agricultural practices across Gippsland (e.g. Wilandra Farm) that many others could learn from. I believe that supporting Gippsland farmers to adopt sustainable agriculture practices will benefit farming, the environment and the bottom line.

What would you do to ensure HVP complies with the Section 69 Agreement?

I would seek to work with the relevant Minister, DEECA and HVP, as well as with Gippsland Forest Guardians and other stakeholders, to understand the issues, rectifications undertaken to date (if any), and what is required to ensure ongoing compliance (including monitoring and enforcement). If the agreement has been breached, HVP needs to be held accountable for its actions; rectifications should be made and assurances for the future must be provided. To ensure ongoing compliance an agreed process for monitoring and enforcement should be applied.

What is the single most important thing you would do in your first year to protect the natural environment of the Strzelecki Ranges, and what measurable outcome would you aim to achieve?

I am not an environmentalist and do not profess to have all the answers. However, I am a natural collaborator with strong expertise in public policymaking. In my first year, if elected, I would endeavour to bring all the relevant stakeholders together from across Gippsland to identify the most pressing environmental problems and co-design the corresponding solution/s. In establishing such a Gippsland Environmental Coalition, I would lead the development of a 10year plan / roadmap for the long-term protection of the natural environment of the Strzelecki Ranges. With a strong evidence base behind me, I would work with my colleagues and government departments to affect long-term change that ensures positive environmental impacts across Gippsland for generations to come.

Zave Evans (Greens)

What are the top three things you would fund to protect the natural environment in our electorate?

Implement funding of independent detailed research into the effects of fire, including planned burns, on ecosystems, and ensure that fire management authorities:

a. ensure transparency in their work

b. assess and protect habitat values and rare species

c. account for losses of stored carbon

d. carry out pre- and post-burn monitoring

e. base all modelling and planning on sound scientific evidence.

Improve resourcing for local government and provide oversight of local councils with a properly resourced and qualified regulator in order to:

a. establish evidence-based buffer zones in high conservation areas, with linkage and restoration of ecological fragments on public and private land.

b. develop and enforce recovery plans for threatened and endangered species and protection plans for ecological communities.

c. liaise with and support environmentally focused community groups to further identify areas of environmental concern.

d. support programs to work with private landowners and community groups to protect, restore, and conserve natural values on their land, including conservation covenants.

e. increase and enforce penalties for harm to state-listed threatened and endangered species.

f. improve support for services which anticipate and address biosecurity risks and invasive species threats.

And perhaps most importantly, fund biodiversity education programs to ensure that the people in our communities understand and respect the complexity and significance of our ecosystems, and are aware of the threats they face and the impacts of mismanagement.

What would you do to ensure HVP complies with the Section 69 Agreement?

I believe compliance of the agreement lies within the remit of DEECA, and I'll admit to not having a comprehensive understanding of the process by which compliance could be enforced. I'm a strong advocate for sharpening the teeth of the conservation regulator and supporting them to hold private companies accountable, and I'd be following this up in any capacity I could if elected as an MP, as the slow conversion of my home into a corporate pine forest has been rather devastating to watch. Furthermore, the idea of private companies attaining perpetual management of public land to exclusively their own benefit is not something I support. For forestry to be sustainable, it needs to have a strong focus on ecological impacts, as well as commercial viability.

What is the single most important thing you would do in your first year to protect the natural environment of the Strzelecki Ranges, and what measurable outcome would you aim to achieve?

Support the management of re-growth forest to an old growth state to maximise biodiversity, carbon uptake and water yield, both on public land, and through financial incentives for private landholders to engage in revegetation programs and conservation covenants, aiming to link together fragmented conservation areas, through projects like the Prom Coast Ecolink.

Philip Shuhman (Independent)

Dear Victoria,

It has been a busy day. Sorry for the late reply. I am reading and responding as I go. GFG sounds like a wonderful group very similar to the Mt Best Concerned Residents however with the time elapsed since the early 80s I see you guys are on top of your game and far more informed and potentially have far more resources at your disposal..

Q1: I fought the 2009 "Delburn Complex" fire at my front door and saw the destruction of my possessions and 30 year old bush regrowth on my land. The government of the day stated they would use local knowledge and respect local knowledge with respect to bushfire mitigation and within 10 years I was arguing with the local CFA captain while the rain soaked our cloths and his deputies put out my almost finished burn pile of debris I had collected to reduce fuel load. It was in November possibly during the bushfire declaration period. We had had half an inch of rain the day before and it was heavy fog and constant heavy drizzle while I was working and it took me about 4 litres of my home made fire starter to actually get the fire to burn before I could feed it and get rid of the debris. It was totally absurd that someone, my neighbour two doors up, had called the fire brigade and they said it took them a long time to find my fire in the rain and fog.. I have the local knowledge and I knew there was no possibility of my fire extending via any embers as it was a still day and nothing could possibly burn. The CFA captain then threatened me that I would be charged if I re-lit the fire and burnt the last of my trimmings.

The point of telling you this is that GFG has the local knowledge. I would fund GFG to prepare your own report as your web site, states the government has not answered your questions and instead provided you with a generic response. To me this is not acceptable and utilising your knowledge of the areas ecology would be far more accurate and beneficial than using a government assigned ecologist who would most likely be given a directive to find in favour of HVP (in my opinion and appears to be the case across the board). This would be the first thing I'd fund.

You would need to tell me exactly what you intend to do with tax payer money and who would get the money and what they would do for the money. I believe, without spending to much time thinking about it, you would need more than one ecologist and other feet on the ground to accurately depict what is actually in the area subject to the S.69 agreement and clearly demonstrate the breach you appear to be claiming to be occurring.

I would be expecting to circumvent the minister, whoever it may be, and gain my own evidence to prove to the wider public that the minister is not doing their job as they should ie: a reasonable person would be disappointed by their behaviour. This would lead to them being voted out at the next election.

I have a plan to remove all the "dead wood" in parliament so I am looking for pasionate people who know their stuff to work with me to achieve my goals. GFG appears to be one such group that, with a bit of help, could be very beneficial to my "agenda" of accountability and correct use of tax payer money. In other words I would trust your local knowledge and this would mean I wouldn't have to do the leg work myself. I could simply utilise what already exists and know that the information you supply to me is accurate and cannot be disputed. I would rely on your evidence and be able to refuse to compromise. Your evidence would need to be bullet proof as I am very capable of picking holes in anything and I am not putting my hand up to do the job to make friends and certainly not for the money. (I intend to significantly reduce parliamentary salaries).

I would then, again, provide funding for GFG to, accurately outline the old growth sections of the Strzelecki Ranges. I am aware of one small pocket along Toora-Gunyah Rd and I believe I still know where it is. GFG may be aware of the now quite popular giant remnant gums that must be protected (also along Toora-Gunyah Rd. I can take you there to show you at some time soon if you're not aware). For the money I would expect GFG's ecologists and "foot soldiers" to provide an accurate report on all the remnant areas including size and biology, topography, zoology etc. I would then create a 2-5km radius around the identified areas of old growth to allow the natural bush to expand and provide an environmental buffer zone so the areas can remain unbroken by the weather.

I do love our Strzelecki Ranges as I learn't to walk, talk and be a farmer in these beautiful hills and my mother still lives on the farm at Mt Best. I spoke with her this evening and she mentioned "Cores and Links". She knows a lot.

The third thing I would fund, that I believe GFG would be the best ones to oversee, is weed eradication. I would fund fit strong and suitably qualified people to go through the ranges and cut down all self sown, or planted, introduced flora such as but not limited to radiata pines but I would be looking to save such specimens as the few remaining cypress trees and the Gunyah township site, and other sacred historical sites throughout the ranges as these sites would become tourist hubs for each section of the ranges. AND THE WEEDS! The blackberries, ragwort, thistles and myridal of garden escapees making life very difficult for the natural ecosystem. Then there are the deer. We need to get rid of them as they are destroying, and I cannot stress this enough, the natural environment. The deer are worse than the logging for natural habitat. They are destroying it and nothing is able to regrow. If the deer aree not stopped HVP will inherit all of the Strzelecki Ranges as there will be no ecosystem. PIgs, rabbits and other vermin including predators need the same treatment

I am truly thankful for you contacting me as I suspect your passion and dedication to your cause can help our electorate and in particular with eco-tourism. It would mean your would have to do a lot more work in the future such as developing a business plan to begin eco-tourism in the Strzelecki Ranges, potentially utilising the existing B&B's and farm stay

Now flipping back to your questions it appears I have answered question 2 as part of my answer to question 1. Leaving question 3. The third thing I would fund being weed and vermin eradication. It simple. GFG would take photos of all felled and poisoned flora that your soldiers would cut down and or poison. Obviously it probably too time wasting to take photos of every thistle etc that you spray so perhaps a satelite image with areas marked accordingly. We can work out these finer details of reporting once I am elected...Thats called positive manifestation>

I shall be accountable for every tax payer dollar I fund so I shall be on your backs to provide me with irrefutable proof of effective use of our money. I would much rather see passionate knowledgeable locals running the show. I am aware of what happens when "the click" gets a taste of power and I shall not tolerate a "clicky" organization. Full and upfront transparency is what I offer and I expect the same in return. I expect to not be hauled over the coals as I have nothing to hide and shall not hide anything.

If, oops WHEN I am elected I shall wear a body camera that is live streamed to my website and social media platforms for every minute of every shift I work save for going to the toilet. Facial recognition (as in the same sort of thing where your camera picks out faces. I shall employ a tech/computer guy to make this work and if I have to use my own parliamentary salary to do it then so be it. I intend to lead by example and get it right first time) shall be used and public faces shall be blurred for privacy of private citizens but politicians and lobbyists, public servants and "interested party representatives" etc shall be publicly visible and this shall be recorded for review by anyone at any time. I intend to have staff monitoring my "socials' and have a "palm pilot" whereby my staff can let me know in real time exactly what my standing orders are. For example if I am speaking to a lobbyist and you are watching you can tell me exactly what question/s to ask via my staff sending me notifications. You can also reprimand me in real time too.

Again, I believe in public servants being servants of the public and not what Steve Bracks said "The job of government is to sign the contracts and tell the people what's happening".

I hope the above has answered your questions. I ask that before you summarize my responses to one sentence responses that we communicate first so i see what you're going to type as my words but am happy to have this entire thread sent to your email list unedited. I'm not perfect and I have faith that those on your email list will understand it's late and I'm tired and have done my best with little proofreading. Please do forgive my grammar and whatever other typing mistakes I have made.

Sincerely,

Phillip Schuhmann