The Brumby Government has established a Community Engagement Panel to work through recommendations made by the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) on protecting River Red Gums in Northern Victoria.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the panel members had been specifically chosen for their expertise in a wide range of areas, including ecosystem management, regional development, timber industry issues and community engagement.

“VEAC has completed its report and now it is time for the Government to consider how we respond,” Mr Jennings said.

“This Panel will help the Government to prepare its response to the VEAC report by taking feedback from the community.

The panel will report back to me within four months and give the Government advice on how it can achieve the broad goal of protecting stressed Red Gum forests while also protecting the social and economic health of affected communities.”

The Community Engagement Panel will be chaired by Craig Cook, Deputy Chair of Goulburn-Murray Water. The other members are timber industry expert and VicForests Board member Bob Smith, Chair of the Mallee Catchment Management Authority and dryland farmer Joan Burns and former regional Upper House MP John McQuilten. 

“I believe we’ve got the balance right with this group and I look forward to them presenting me with a practical Red Gum plan,” Mr Jennings said.

The group will soon commence its work talking to a range of interested and affected stakeholders. It will also meet relevant Government departments and ministers to ensure the final response takes into account Government programs and policies – including election policies.

A key focus of the panel’s work will be looking at recreational users of public land as well as those holding river front grazing licences, to ‘bridge the gap’ between their needs and the VEAC recommendations.

It also has scope to recommend transition strategies to achieve objectives outlined by VEAC, including timing and phasing in of relevant recommendations.

Mr Jennings said it was important to emphasise that the panel was not reviewing the VEAC report but rather would help to prepare the Government’s response to it.

“When the final VEAC report was released I said that the Brumby Government would keep listening to the community,” Mr Jennings said.

“This Panel will act as the ‘ears’ for the Government across northern Victoria for the next four months. I encourage communities and other stakeholder groups to make their voices heard.”