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News - Australia - South Gippsland - Foster - The Mirror
 

Libs returned locally but nation in limbo

THE sitting local member, Liberal Russell Broadbent, has been returned to McMillan, but the overall result of the federal election held last Saturday remains in limbo. With neither of the major parties achieving a clear majority, votes still being counted and independent MPs likely to hold the balance of power, it could be a week or more before it can be determined who will govern Australia for the next three years.

“I am humbled that the people of McMillan went against the trend in Victoria and retained me as their local member,” said Mr Broadbent. “I’d like to thank the people who supported me, particularly those who braved the cold on Election Day and handed out how-to-vote leaflets supporting me at booths across McMillan.”

Mr Broadbent expressed glee at the likely prospect of three independent MPs from rural/ regional electorates - Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter – holding the balance of power in the House of Representatives. “It will make the citycentric politicians sit up and take notice of the issues that we have been screaming about for the last three years and beyond!” he said.

“Issues such as proper funding for public education, broadband, health issues, reducing emissions across the country, the power we’ll need to run our dairy farms and our communities, and encouraging more doctors to rural areas.” Mr Broadbent said he knew all three independent MPs well, particularly Tony Windsor, whom he described as “a man of integrity”. Mr Broadbent himself did well to maintain his seat of McMillan.

“We ran a very strong campaign for three years, including constant campaigning in the last five weeks,” he said. “One thing the people of McMillan have going for them is me!” The electorate stretches from Noojee in the north through Warragul, Pakenham and Moe to Leongatha, Wonthaggi, Foster, Welshpool and Wilsons Promontory in the south.

Mr Broadbent has held it for the Liberals since 2004, but with its mix of suburban fringe, rich farmland and the industrial Latrobe Valley, McMillan is regarded as a marginal seat. A boundary redistribution several years ago added further complication to electoral outcomes in a seat which has for decades swung between the Liberal Party and the ALP. Mr Broadbent first won McMillan from the ALP in 1996, only to lose it to Christian Zahra of the ALP in 1998 - and win it back in 2004.

In this election Mr Broadbent won 36,203 votes or 49.22 per cent of the total votes in Mc- Millan, down just 0.71 per cent on his vote total in the 2007 election. ALP candidate Christine Maxfield had a two per cent swing against her, scoring 26,580 votes or 36.14 per cent. Greens candidate Malcolm McKelvie received 9.31 per cent of the votes (6,847), up 3.31 per cent on the 2007 Greens vote.

Linden Stokes received 2,386 votes for Family First and Independent Leigh Gatt received 1,536 votes. On a two party preferred basis, Russell Broadbent received 54.2 per cent of the vote, while Christine Maxfield received 45.8 per cent. This represents a negligible swing to the ALP and away from the Liberal Party of 0.59 per cent compared to the 2007 figures.

In the neighbouring – and much more rural - electorate of Gippsland, Darren Chester was returned strongly for The Nationals, securing 42,251 (53.97 per cent) of the votes, an increase of 5.6 per cent on his 2007 count. Darren McCubbin attracted 24,863 (31.76 per cent) of the votes for the ALP, down 4.79 per cent on the ALP’s 2007 count.

Greens candidate Michael Bond attracted 4,762 votes (6.08 per cent) which was only 0.54 per cent more than the Greens vote in Gippsland at the last federal election. On a two-party preferred basis The Nationals scored 61.76 per cent of the vote in the electorate of Gippsland (up 5.85 per cent), while the ALP scored 38.24 per cent (down 5.85 per cent).

Investments at the Prom

WILSONS Promontory National Park Chief Ranger Craig Stubbings brought South Gippsland Shire Councillors up to date last week on both the park’s capital upgrade program and the 2009 fire recovery process.

Building on $1.6 million spent over the last two years improving camp site facilities, amenity blocks and $420,000 worth of wilderness retreat accommodation, Parks Victoria will undertake an additional $7.1 million in works over the combined 2010/11 and 2011/12 financial years.

The three most expensive items are the relocation and upgrade of the works depot ($3.4 million), relocation of Lorikeet flats onto the old depot site ($2 million, including set up as five separate units) and $0.5 million to upgrade the Loo Errn boardwalk along the banks of Tidal River. Upgrades to group lodge accommodation, improvements to Tidal River visitor centre and store, and removal/clean up of the fuel tanks at Tidal River are works estimated at $400,000 each.

Mr. Stubbings also outlined the components of the draft concept plan for the depot’s redevelopment, which besides the relocated Lorikeet units, proposes 10 drivethrough sites for large campervans and the relocation of the eight ‘motor huts’ which are currently located on an aboriginal midden. These last two proposals are not yet funded in forward budgets, and public comment on the draft concept plan only closed on August 19.

BUSHFIRE RECOVERY

Reminding and updating Council about the details of the 2009 Cathedral fire and recovery works at the Prom, Mr. Stubbings listed the following facts: · The Prom was closed to visitors for 36 days from February 8, 2009 as over 25,000 hectares was burnt, with 90% of the park re-opened for Easter and 98% by Christmas 2009. · Habitats of six rare species (animals, birds and fish) were affected by low to moderate intensity fire.

· 74% of the Tidal River water catchment was burnt, necessitating loan of a water treatment filtering plant by South Gippsland Water for Tidal River’s water supply. · 122 indigenous and European archaeological sites were affected, but the fire-affected landscape revealed a further 37 indigenous sites and 18 European sites that were previously unknown. · $155,000 worth of damage was caused to tracks, signs and associated infrastructure.

· $500,000 received in emergency funding (via State Treasurer’s Advance) was used for recovery work including erosion management, risk minimisation, restoration of uninsured assets, cultural/heritage site protection works and employment of 36 months worth of additional rangers to undertake the works. · $126,000 received in caring for our Country grants for post-fire research/ monitoring, pest animal/plant control and threatened species management.

· The fire recovery process strengthened existing links and built new ones through Parks Victoria partnering with community organisations to share the workload and support others in the aftermath. Specific benefits have arisen through establishment of a People and Parks Foundation Fund to assist the Tidal River Open Space Project, development of a nature-based volunteer tourism package with Conservation Volunteers Australia.

TOURISM

Day visitation at the Prom remains 10% below the three-year average prior to the fire however overnight accommodation usage has returned to pre-fire levels. With the State Government’s removal of parks entry fees, Mr. Stubbings expects day visitation to recover.

As 80% of visitation occurs between November and April, Mr. Stubbings believed that park entry staffing for that period combined with Visitor Information Centre monitoring and use of vehicle counters would satisfactorily cover visitor recording that was previously carried out year-round at the entrance through admission payments. He noted that 98% of visitors to the Prom went to the Tidal River information centre.

In response to questions by Councillors Kieran Kennedy and Mohya Davies, Mr. Stubbings said it was State Government policy to close all national parks on ‘Code Red’ extreme bushfire risk days and those people already in the park would be alerted for evacuation to Norman Bay if required.

Despite a 98% occupancy rate for roofed accommodation at the Prom, the government has maintained its policy of no additional roofed accommodation to be built there and for the existing 424 camp sites to be maintained. Presumably this information buoyed Council’s hopes for promoting changes to recent land use planning controls in order to support a new accommodation development on private land near the park’s entrance.

In response to Cr Davies who suggested that the omission of the Prom’s attractions from the State’s specific ‘nature- based’ online tourism promotion was “depriving South Gippsland of much needed tourism dollars”, Mr. Stubbings hoped that recent submissions made on behalf of the park would result in the Prom’s nature- based attractions obtaining official exposure.

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