Page 12 The Moorabool News – 1 March, 2022
Letters to the Editor
Email - news@themooraboolnews.com.au
W R I T I NG LE T T E R S T O T H E E DI T OR Each letter must be accompanied with the writer’s full name, address and phone number (name and suburb for publication only) and be limited to 300 words. Letters to be received via post or email (preferred option). The Editor has the right to limit the amount of words in each letter received and published letters are at the discretion of the Editor. Send your letters to news@themooraboolnews.com.au
Photo - Peter Kerverac Ballarat Photography 29 January 2022
Dear Editor, Save Gordon Koalas campaign members are concerned about the advertisement in your paper by Central Highlands Water ‘What’s Happening at the Gordon Wastewater Treatment & Reuse Facility” (page 4) on 8 February. Members of the group have been in dialogue with CHW since July 2021 and the organisation has become increasingly evasive and vague about their plans for the site and protection of the koalas and other wildlife. CHW claim in their advertisement that “The most recent count (of koalas), in 2021, identified three koalas in the plantation area” is misleading. While that exercise may have met the legislative requirements, it has no scientific standing and does not qualify as a “count”. Midway, the company that plans to harvest the blue gums, did a one-off snapshot and this does not qualify as a survey or ‘count’ as they claim. Partly in response to our concerns, CHW has now commissioned its own work to survey koalas on the site. At this stage we are not sure what the qualifications and experience of the CHW contractor are or whether a proper survey methodology will be followed. CHW continues to be evasive about the width of the buffer they intend to leave around the site. While a buffer width of around 30 metres has been mentioned, there is no firm
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commitment, nor has there been any independent assessment of this. Save Gordon Koalas remain concerned that such a narrow buffer will not be enough to protect the koalas and other wildlife. Also, as a relatively young plantation of blue gums that have been harvested once and regrown from coppicing, the trees will be highly susceptible to wind damage. Many residents of Gordon and the wider community have started to take an interest in the campaign, and it is no surprise that there is much more wildlife on site – if one takes the time to look. The photo was taken on 29 January this year and shows a healthy koala in the plantation just off Cartons Rd. Gordon residents have sighted many koalas in the area as well as many other species of wildlife. It literally is that easy to see a koala on that site even in full daylight. Common sense tells us that there are much larger numbers present. The recent downgrading of koala status to endangered in most states by the Federal Environment Minister and the commitment by the federal government to a National Recovery Plan for koalas places CHWs poor processes squarely in the spotlight. Every pocket of koalas, including in Victoria, needs to be protected and strengthened in order to ensure survival of the species. The gene pool of koalas in this region may well be vital to their survival. Save Gordon Koalas members have invited CHW representatives to a meeting with residents in Gordon to discuss the future of the plantation. Dr Stephen Derrick BSc (Forestry) and PhD (Monash) Secretary, Friends of Paddock Creek Inc Gordon Dear Editor, I write about Victoria’s award winning road DOWNGRADE project. Long overdue roadworks between Bacchus Marsh and Geelong commenced three+ years ago. An important transport link which qualified for a decent standard of rehabilitation and upgrades is currently incomplete with barely 20km completed. Most of the remaining sections are speed limited to 40 & 60 km/h whilst roadworks are slowly undertaken. Overtaking opportunities on long straight sections with good visibility now have many kilometres of wire rope barriers without a second lane having been added. This substandard and delayed project as well as the stalled duplication of the Western Highway (Australia’s second busiest), confirm that Victoria’s roads are the most neglected in Australia. Paul Jenkins Kurunjang
No-one’s unsinkable A staggering four out of five drowning deaths in Victoria have involved men aged 25 to 64 in the past decade – and a new campaign is warning men, they are not unsinkable. The
‘Unsinkable
Guy’
advertising campaign began in December, and features inflatable ‘unsinkable guys’ in ads across TV, radio, print, digital and social media platforms. third
of
all
drowning deaths
Almost
a
in
the
state over the past 10 years involved alcohol, another focus of the campaign. Research shows that men are less likely to heed water safety messages – but Minister for Emergency Services, Jaclyn Symes, said this was a campaign men needed to pay attention to. “Nobody is unsinkable – too many Victorians have been lost to water tragedies who could $25 from every box sold donated to: Ballan Football Netball Club “Kick off the 2022 season” Fundraiser
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still be with their loved ones today,” she said. “We’re urging all Victorians to be alert to potential risks around water…but particularly men, who tend to underestimate and misjudge the risks to themselves.” Ms Symes has also launched a new Victorian Water Safety Strategy, which aims to reduce the risk of drowning at beaches, lakes, rivers, dames, homes, pools, and ponds. It maps out ways to tackle contributing factors to the growing drowning toll, such as the growing number of people visiting the water, demand for water safety education programs, and education for people using recreational vessels. There’s been 61 Victorians drowned in 2020 – 21, surpassing a 20-year high of 56 Victorian drownings set in 2018-19. To view the Water Safety Strategy, visit www.vic.gov.au/victorian-water-safety-strategy.