Title: Weeds menace - Hume Council wants government to act
[Sunbury Leader 02 Nov 2010, p. 1 by Kelly Sammut] -- HUME Council is calling on the State Government to enforce better management of serrated tussock. It has written to Agriculture Minister Joe Helper in an attempt to get more support from the Department of Primary Industries to control the noxious weed. Hume chief executive Domenic Isola said that since 2008 the council had experienced a rapid decline of support from DPI as it moved towards controlling new invasive weeds. This put increased pressure on the council, led to increased community complaints and a decline in the health of the green wedge, he said.
In 2005 a property on Mt Holden had a high infestation of serrated tussock that led to a large quantity of seeds blowing down to neighbouring land. Mr Isola said without additional help that farm was once again threatening to send thousands of seed into adjoining properties. Mt Holden resident Chris Tepper said residents were hopeful an eleventh-hour spraying last week will prevent a repeat of 2005 when her home was blanketed in serrated tussock for weeks. "You would clean it away and in three hours it was all back again," she said.
"It came in your house, your garage we still have it in the ceiling." Mrs Tepper said she was still pulling plants out of her garden from that infestation and called both the DPI and the council in August when plants on Mt Holden threatened again.
DPI spokeswoman Melanie Curtis said that in line with the state’s biosecurity strategy the DPI was setting priorities in its approach to other invasive plants.
Mark and Chris Tepper are worried that serrated tussock will invade their property again this year. Picture: DENNIS MANKTELOW
"Conducting enforcement on all properties within the core area is not practical and using the state’s resources in this way would mean that opportunities to prevent new and emerging high-risk species from becoming significant threats to Victoria’s biodiversity, production and social values would be missed," she said.
Mrs Tepper said during the 2009/10 financial year the DPI contributed $35,000 in grants to Hume Council to control serrated tussock and other invasive plants.
