Open letter to The Victorian Parliament

The Honourable John Thwaites,

Minister for the Environment

Re Why allow the nonsense and confusion to continue?

Dear Mary,

I feel sure you are aware that many rural Victorians feel very aggrieved at incomplete and misleading representation of environmental issues.

The resultant unjust and shortsighted imperatives affect:

· their rights to custody and use of their and our land

· their ability to maintain sound livelihoods, and

· their ability to properly manage risks that can adversely affect a wide range of citizens and the practical sustainable use of resources.

The very serious matter of more ongoing unreasonable action against them is my reason for writing to you.

A few questions:

• Why are you prepared to jeopardize the independence of those scientists and competent individuals (including those acting under various Acts and Inquiries on Fire and Parks), and the long term sound sense of sustained action, by allowing this widespread doubt and criticism of their independence and ability to do their job properly? To whose advantage is the creation of another environmental department?
• Who are the people who would defend your party’s decision to act for “preservation and enshrinement”, and why would you support their judgment over the mass of well trained and experienced people who clearly reject that blinkered advice?
• Surely there will be an ongoing loss of confidence in your government if you keep conducting Inquires which do not appear to be independent?
• Like Tim Flannery (Age 29th March) has now done, why don’t you ditch the ever changing imperatives of the preservationists right now?

We call on you to stop all VEAC inquiries, insist on keeping all agreements( e.g. RFA), and find a more robust means of sound environmental planning before your government loses its credibility about being able to act with the big picture always in mind.

Many of us are not prepared to let this injustice and threatening go on for years. We hope you aren’t either.

If you have any personal questions, I would be happy to address them over these complex matters.

I would also be grateful if you would acknowledge my letter and provide some answers.

Yours faithfully,

Please advise us of any errors or lack of clarity in the content.

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