Kelvin Thomson is the federal member for Wills, representing inner-city northern Melbourne. He was the Shadow Attorney-General in early 2007 when it was discovered that he had provided a notorious Melbourne gangster, Tony Mokbel, with a personal reference describing him as a “responsible, caring husband and father”. Mr Thomson subsequently resigned from the front bench, but he still has trouble telling good from bad.
Last Tuesday in federal parliament as part of debate on the Water Amendment Bill 2008, Mr Thomson described me as an anti-environmentalist and made much of my opposition to the creation of another 100,000 hectares of National Park along the Murray River. He suggested that converting state forest to national park would be a very significant nature conservation outcome for the Murray River which I opposed.
In reality converting state forest to national park is not going to address the current key issue for the forests which is provision of adequate environment flows in an efficient manner. Furthermore, by ‘locking-up’ the forests and banning current management practices the forests may become less, rather than more, resilient.
I do oppose the continual ‘locking-up’ of ever more forest principally on the basis that those in metropolitan Australia, in places like inner-city Melbourne, like the idea of national parks.
Many city people have a romantic notion of wilderness – an idea that wilderness is a place where people do not go. In reality the beauty of many wild places is a consequence of careful management by people. Indeed the red gum forests of the central Murray Valley, the forests that Mr Thomson would like to see ‘locked-up’, are only about 6,000 years old following a geological uplifting that changed the course of the Murray River. They have always been managed, first by indigenous Australians and more recently by the wood cutters and cattlemen who now live there.
In July this year I launched the 152-page ‘Conservation and Community Plan’ for the Red Gum forests at the Victorian Parliament House. This plan is about protecting the Red Gum forests not leaving their survival to fate. The plan developed by 25 community groups under the guidance of foresters Mark Poynter and Barry Dexter proposes the creation of a public land tenure known as RAMSAR Reserve with management to integrate the principles of multiple-use with environmental care. Current government policies and plans relating to timber production, cattle grazing, and recreational activities would be retained in RAMSAR Reserves in accordance with zoning that takes account of prevailing values and conditions.
The community plan proposes that funding for more on-ground resources be obtained from revenue generated by these commercial uses of the forest such as timber production, grazing, firewood collection and bee keeping.
The Alliance of community groups supports more environmental flows for the forests and the plan explains how to achieve the more efficient delivery of this water through the use of water regulators that already exist in many of the forests.
In short, Mr Thomson misrepresents me when he suggested in federal parliament last week that I do not care about the Red Gum forests. I care deeply about these forests and I recognise that their preservation is dependent on appropriate management regimes, not the romantic notion of wilderness implicit in the speech by Mr Thomson that falsely assumes less people equals more trees.
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Additional Reading:
While the Murray River is flowing despite the drought, many of its tributaries are drying up: http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2007/11/murray-river-tributary-reduced-to-billabongs/
After a fire in the Barmah forest: http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2007/11/after-the-%e2%80%98top-island%e2%80%99-fire-in-the-barmah-red-gum-forest/
Some forests can be ‘drought proofed’ through thinning: http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2007/11/thinning-red-gum-forests-at-koondrook/
You can read my speech at the launch of the community plan here: http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2008/08/a-new-plan-for-the-red-gums-of-northern-victoria/
Enjoying the Murray River, surrounded by River Red gums, just upstream of Barham, October 2007. Photograph taken by Jennifer Marohasy.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Hi Jennifer,
The Rivers & Red Gum Environment Alliance today chartered a plane to fly over part of the Barmah State Park that was burnt in a fuel reduction burn by the Department of Sustainability and Environment [DSE] last Thursday October 16th , to obtain evidence of the dozens of habitat trees destroyed in this fire.
This was necessary as DSE were denying in the media that the damage was as bad as what was being stated. We have the proof. The DSE Fire Manager told me on Friday morning that three habitat trees had been destroyed. Peter Newman, the Alliance chairman told me on Thursday night that he saw 38 habitat trees burning in the forest and provided photos to back his claim.
This controlled burn was undertaken in benign conditions with fuel levels at an estimated 30 tonnes to the hectare. Still, dozens of habitat trees that the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council [VEAC] says we should be protecting were burnt to the ground.
The issue here is that people like Kelvin Thomson and VEAC who have no concept of forest management insist that recommendations such as a build up of coarse woody debris to a level of 45 tonnes to the hectare will actually produce good environmental outcomes when locals and the Alliance are saying this is dangerous and that it will invite disaster. Thursday proved the Alliance and locals correct.
The Alliance is not opposed to the concept of fuel reduction burns, but is opposed to recommendations such as these which defy commonsense and have been shown to produce perverse outcomes.
The VEAC final report is full of recommendations such as these.
Max Rheese
Mr Thomson’s electorate is described as inner city and includes Essendon Airport, Fawkner Cemetery, the old Kodak site, as well as the former Pentridge Prison. It covers an area of approximately 57 sq km.(5,700 hectares)
It contains many large industries including paper, tiles, hosiery, steel, paints, glass, textiles, Australian Defence Industries, joinery, electrical goods and various hardware industries. In addition to these, there are large manufacturing plants in neighbouring electorates which draw employees from the Wills electorate, most notably the Ford factory in Broadmeadows.
There is a photo of the environmental management of the major water way in the Minister’s electorate the Mooney Pond Creek at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MooneePondsCreek_WestBrunswick.jpg
This once ecological pristine water way is now a storm water drain as it forms the boundary oh Mr. Thomson electorate
By way of comparison the Rivers and Red Gum Environment Alliance show some great photos of the river red gums and the 104,700 hectares the Alliance has recommended be set aside as Ramsar Reserves to protect biodiversity values.
Compare the photos and assess just who is for managing the environment!
more information about the Alliance here:
http://www.rrgea.org/?file=home&smid=1
This just in – gutter in Brunswick doesn’t look as nice as continent’s biggest river.
What exactly is anyone supposed to learn from the comparison Cinders?
What would you expect but gross ignorance from the honourable member for Bull$hitistan? The dumb turd lives in a concrete sewer and holds himself out as a beacon of environmental concern. Give us a break.
Max, there may well have been 38 habitat trees burning but did they continue to burn? Did they burn the trees to the ground or did they merely acquire a portion of their trunks with a layer of rot preventing charcoal while retaining a healthy bark cover on their southern face?
What proportion of these trees, and other trees, have actually been improved, in hollow delivery terms, by the fire? Yes, thats right, fire can increase the number, size and habitability of hollows.
More importantly, what was the actual density of habitat trees per hectare? If there was more than two/ha then the fire has actually improved the quality of the habitat as excessive habitat trees are known to reduce the stocking rate of hollow using species due to their retarded production of leaf, flower, seed and sap.
I think Max Rheese has made a mistake when he says “Victorian Environmental Assessment Council [VEAC] ”
Isn’t it the Victorian Environmental ASSASSINATION Council?
The Moonee Ponds Creek flows from Greenvale down through Tullamarine and joins the Yarra River in West Melbourne. Tributaries include Yuroke Creek, which enters Moonee Ponds from the north in Westmeadows, and Attwood Creek, which rises just to the west of Mickleham Road in Greenvale.
Each year, an estimated 180 tonnes of litter enters the Moonee Ponds Creek. The majority of this is washed into the creek through the storm water system.
This rubbish not only detracts from the “beauty of the Creek” and surrounding recreational areas, but is a risk to marine and human health. $2.6 million has been spent on the creek to reduce the amount of rubbish discharged into the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay.
I have learnt that the Mooney ponds creek was once an important tributary to the Yarra River. Instead of promoting the Humane Society – who recently was critical of Environment Minister Peter Garrett- and the Australian Conservation foundation, the ALP’s Mr. Thomson, if he really does care about the environment, should start in his own back yard and restore the creek, before commenting on the river red gum management
The clowns in Sydney might like to make a start on restoring the “Tank Stream” as well. But no, it is all about distraction.
Ian, Have a look at the photo gallery here http://www.rrgea.org/?file=gallery&smid=9 and you will see what the Alliance means.
The Alliance is not opposed to fire and accepts your point that fire can improve the environment.
The issue here is that the fire was lit in an area with an average 30 tonnes of coarse woody debris to the hectare and did significant damage to conservation values. VEAC have recommended a build up of CWD to 50 tonnes to the hectare. A disaster in the making. This burn was a glimpse of the future management of red gum forests as national parks.