Country Greens Victoria Network

The Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has reversed his decision to rezone farming land for residential development at Ventnor on Phillip Island.

The Bass Coast Council initially refused to rezone a 24 hectare block of land near the coast for residential development.

But Mr Guy overturned the decision saying the rezoning would make housing more affordable.

Facing a community protest, Mr Guy rang the Bass Coast Mayor, Veronica Dowman, this morning to tell her he has changed his mind.

Councillor Dowman says it was a frank conversation and Mr Guy had listened to the council's argument.

"I congratulate the Maintain Our Boundaries Community group," she said.

"I congratulate all the people on Phillip Island and in the Bass Coast, the councillors and our council officers for this campaign and also I congratulate the minister."

Mr Guy says he has listened to the community and the council and has angrily denied his change of position represents a policy back flip.

RALLY THURSDAY 22 SEPT 11AM - Lymington Ave & Bowcombe Cr, Ventnor

The Planning Minister has ignored opposition from the local council and said he will expand Ventnor’s town boundary tomorrow to add hundreds of homes on environmentally sensitive land!

Our community needs to send a message to the Victorian Government,

STAND UP to the Developers and SAY NO to overdevelopment in Ventnor!

http://www.facebook.com/GPMOB

Yarra Ranges environment group Warburton Environment are organising a forest picnic to highlight logging that is about to commence in Cement Creek.

Cement Creek, part of Melbourne's water catchment is due to be logged as part of VicForests 2011 Timber Release Plan.

Cement Creek contains some beautiful high conservation forest, habitat to Victoria's endanged faunal emblem, the Leadbeater's Possum, it's destruction for woodchips is a travesty.

It was the potential logging of Armstrong and Cement Creek in 2007 that motivated me to move a motion that the Shire of Yarra Ranges council oppose logging in Melbourne's water catchments. Fourteen other councils followed suit and also opposed logging of Melbourne's water catchments.

Cement Creek had a reprieve in 2008, with local member at the time, Tammy Lobato, announcing there'd be no logging during 2008/09, but as I said at the time it was a hollow victory with no permanent protection of Cement Creek.

Organisers of the Biggest Picnic Ever want to highlight the immediate threat to our forests from clearfell logging for paper and pulp. There'll be guided tours and guest speakers to talk about the values of our forests.

Warburton, essentially a tourist town, relies on its natural assets to support its tourism industry. Those forests also support a wealth of biodiversity, assist in water supply, provide clean air and have enormous value as a carbon store - these forests are the most carbon dense in the world.

Anger as logging begins at controversial Sylvia Creek forest near Melbourne

VicForests has sent the chainsaws into the Sylvia Creek forest on Melbourne’s north east fringe, despite conceding that the area contains old-growth trees more than 110 years old. Over 100 people protested at the site near Toolangi last weekend, forcing both VicForests and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) to conduct new surveys to check the forest’s environmental values.

“DSE has confirmed the logging coupe contains old growth trees, even though VicForests and Government Minister Louise Asher insisted last week that it was not old growth forest,” said Wilderness Society forest campaigner Luke Chamberlain.

The extraordinary rains that have fallen over the last week in many parts of Victoria have inflicted significant damage and destruction on many of Victoria’s rural communities. Country greens members are part of these impacted communities and also part of the volunteer work force helping out.

The Country Greens Network would like to offer their support and concern for those people whose lives and properties have been affected by flooding, as well as their appreciation to the emergency services workers and volunteers helping to clean up the devastation across the state

The Australian Red Cross Victorian Floods Appeal is now taking donations and can be reached on 1800 811 700.  Click here  to go directly to the Red Cross flood appeal web page.

Animal welfare groups like the RSPCA are also helping and will accept donations here

It's been a fantastic journey, campaigning on behalf of the Greens in Eastern Victoria. I'm pleased to see an increase in Greens votes across the region in an election where there was a significant swing to conservative politics.

The campaign started quite a long time ago, but ramped up in earnest in November. I've had wonderful support from the Greens Lower House candidates across Eastern Victoria, Brent Hall - Gembrook, Jo Tenner - Monbulk, Tania Giles - Evelyn, Martin Rush - Mornington, Catherine Manning - Hastings, Anton Vigenser - Nepean, Neil Rankine - Bass, Belinda Rogers - Narracan, Kate Jackson - South Gippsland, Dan Jordan - Morwell and Jill Redwood - East Gippsland.

I've travelled the length and breadth of Eastern Victoria, from Lilydale to Portsea, from Berwick to Mallacoota. I've spoken to countless people about a myriad of issues and enjoyed it immensely.

Environment and community groups are calling for a halt on plans to significantly expand the Port of Hastings due to the unacceptable risks they pose to Westernport Bay's environmental and recreational values.

"Westernport has remarkable environmental and recreational values right on Melbourne's doorstep," said the Victorian National Parks Association's Marine and Coastal Project Officer Simon Branigan.

"Extensive tracts of seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh habitats provide nurseries for fish species and important foraging, breeding and roosting habitat for shorebirds and wader birds," he said.

Blue Wedges Coalition spokesperson Jenny Warfe warned the plans could undermine the bay's resilience to climate change.

"Plans to expand the Port of Hastings endanger Westernport's values and reduce the resilience of the bay to the ongoing impacts of climate change," she said.

Download joint community & enviroment groups statment here

Greens candidate for Narracan, Belinda Rogers, expressed her support for the State Election campaign by Domestic Violence Victoria today.