PLATFORM POLICIES
REG BACKGROUND REG
PLATFORM RECREATIONAL
POLICIES ENVIRONMENT
POLICIES
VOTE REG OR GREENS?
With the rise in influence of the Green movement, recent years have seen a rapid growth in areas set aside as parks and reserves in Victoria. As an example, we now have more of our public land inside reserves than outside. In fact we have almost four million hectares within the reserve system and much of our coastline in marine parks and other coastal reserves. There are now calls from the Greens for even more national parks and restrictions on activities.
REG questions the validity of this reserve system when weeds and feral pests are out of control and the risk of extreme wildfires is constant.
The main impact of creating parks and reserves is felt by those whose access to these areas for a variety of recreational and commercial activities is restricted. To date little scientific evidence has been presented to support these access restrictions, nor has adequate consideration been given to the social and economic impact of restricting access to public land. The negative impact on our cultural heritage has been immense.
The administrators often ignore the opportunity for community participation in land management. This participation can be in a number of ways such as assistance with feral pest management through trapping and shooting, maintenance of fire trails maintenance of park facilities or simply being the eyes of land managers and reporting incidents in need of attention.
REG believes the most viable form of land and water management is ‘multiple use’ where many compatible activities can occur for the benefit of the participants, the community, the economy and the environment.
We believe that the current public land and water management practices have been overly influenced by the extreme Green movement and have failed. Not only are these management practices denying the opportunity for Victorian families to enjoy their natural environment, but they are also putting that natural environment and all it contains at risk.
Recreational and Environment:
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Promote fair and reasonable access to public land and waters for traditional recreational purposes.
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Ensure the management of public land and waters is done in a manner that is not only environmentally, but socially, economically and scientifically based.
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Encourage community participation in the care and management of our public land and waters.
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Encourage widespread participation in the variety of recreational activities on public land and waters.
Community Issues:
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REG will bring a common-sense; people focused approach to Parliament and will work with the elected government to do what is best for the people of Victoria.
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REG will not support the radical views of the ‘Greens’, bad government or minority factional interest groups.
R.E.G POLICIES
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Remove unnecessary restrictions and limitation on all recreational activities.
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Promote ‘multiple use’ of public land where many compatible activities can occur for the benefit of recreational users, the community, the economy and the environment.
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Work towards the establishment of high-level, stakeholder-based Ministerial advisory bodies to ensure the responsible Minister is given balanced information about environmental and public land and water access issues.
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Facilitation and promotion of the shooting sports, primarily hunting and target shooting including security of tenure over ranges and access to landlocked public land.
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Promote the development of a statutory State Game Authority which will fairly represent hunting and game management organisations in Victoria.
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Support the recreation of hunting using scent trailing hounds and utility dogs, ensuring that fair representation and consultation is made with the State Government regarding issues such as allowable hunting breeds, wild dog control, seasonal timetables, and road and land closures.
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Recognise that boundaries and regulations pertaining to modern day low-impact prospecting are unspecified, outdated and in many cases irrelevant. REG will work to review and remove all inappropriate exclusions zones; listing prospecting in all relevant parks under the National Parks Act and ensuring that prospecting is permitted in all other Crown land areas.
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To create and maintain a vibrant and professional arena to serve the recreational needs of all four wheel drivers in the State of Victoria under the mantra of “Driving in a Sustainable Environment”.
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REG will achieve this through the increase of funding for track maintenance, driver training education, and sustainable recreation research; whilst ensuring that there is no net loss of tracks throughout the State of Victoria.
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Provide adequate funding for the development of riding areas for under age trail-bike riders to allow for rider training and awareness programs to be delivered. Implement a junior recreational license for young riders between 14 years of age and up to license age.
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Continue to fund and develop trail bike unloading areas on public land. Fund the development of a trail riding information booklet.
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Address the decline in the number of car-rallying events by ensuring sufficient areas are made available with a review on permitting this activity in areas that are currently restricted.
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REG will work towards the removal of mandated wearing of Personal Flotation Devices for boaters in vessels up to 4.8 metres. There is no evidence that the recently introduced requirement will have any impact on safety. The current policy is unpopular and compliance is low because it was opposed by Victoria’s boaters. REG supports the introduction of similar regulation to those that were initially proposed by relevant stakeholders.
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Ensure the needs of people are given equal weight to environmental concerns in matters relating to our public land and waters.
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Encourage Government to consider all options in response to Victoria’s water deficit. This would include the possibility of creating new dams and desalination plants.
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Work with government to produce an advertising campaign that promoted widespread participation in the full range of outdoor activities in parks, state forests, coast and waterways.
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Develop a state-wide strategy to improve maintenance of Victorian parks.
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Work to generally improve recreational facilities within the state of Victoria
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Encourage increased funding levels for servicing at key day visitor areas, to help promote regional tourism.
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Increase funding for weed and feral animal control.
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Increase the availability of safe drinking water at visitor locations in Parks and Forests.
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Encourage integrated management projects between recreational users and land managers, for our natural resources.
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Maintain minimum environmental flows to any areas affected by drought, to ensure stream health is sustained guaranteeing the survival of existing fish stocks.
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Ensure the needs of recreational fishers are considered and acted upon by Government prior to any decision being made on channel deepening in Port Phillip Bay.
And this is only what The Greens are admitting to publicly!
A Vote for REG is a Sensible Vote for the Environment
A Vote for The Greens is a Vote for taxpayer-funded
heroin for addicts.
Don't risk giving them the balance of power!