Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (19:03): My constituency question is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Residents of Ocean Grove are deeply concerned about the build-up of fuel loads in the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, which spans over 350 acres and is surrounded on most sides by suburban blocks. At a public meeting in Ocean Grove which I attended Fire Management Victoria told residents that they intended to mulch a 40-metre strip of the reserve as their solution to reducing fire risk. Having visited the site myself, clearly a machine is being used to smash some sticks on the ground, trample native grasses, smash logs and knock off tree branches. The supposed mulching clearly does nothing to reduce fire risk while damaging remnant vegetation. I ask the minister: how is a $30 000 expenditure on mulching going to save the lives of Ocean Grove residents in the event of a fire?