[By PETER HUNT - Weekly Times, 11 Nov. 2009, p,8] THE Victorian Government has finally conceded it does not know who is responsible for controlling roadside weeds and pests after five years of bickering with local councils and landholders. The Department of Primary Industries issued a statement to all councils this month stating it wanted to resolve the issue once and for all.
"The current situation is the Victorian Government, municipal councils or the adjoining landowner may all be responsible or not for managing declared weeds or pest animals depending upon the categorisation of the pest and status of the road," the statement said.
Agriculture Minister Joe Helper has decided to establish an independently-chaired working party of Municipal Association of Victoria, Department of Primary Industry and other stakeholders in response.
Thejoint statement, written in consultation with the MAV, states the working party "will examine the fundamental questions of what the objective of roadside weed and pest animal management is, who is best placed to deliver it and how legislation should be used to provide best outcomes".
Landholders, municipal councils and the Government have been arguing about who is responsible for roadside weeds and pests since receiving revised legal opinion on the Catchment and Land Protection Act in 2004. Then the legal opinion was that councils, not adjoining landholders, were responsible for local roadside weed and pest control.
At the time the Victorian Farmers Federation welcomed the interpretation, but local councils have declared they will not take responsibility unless fully funded by the Government.
The Government has provided $20 million over four years for councils to control roadside weeds and pests, but in the longer term wants the working group to resolve the issue.
Council delegates at the MAY’s state conference on October 30 passed a resolution stating: "That the MAY lobby the State Government to accept responsibility for the eradication of declared weed and pest animals on roadsides throughout the state and that local government does not accept this cost shifting by default." YFF land management committee chairman Gerald Leach said he was completely unaware of the joint working group.
The Roadside Joint Key message to local government, issued by DPI, also recognised the lack of investment in roadside weed and pest control.