Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria criticises government over fuel-load management

The Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria has accused Premier Daniel Andrews and Labor of having “short memories” in their management of fuel loads in national and state parks.

EXCLUSIVE : VICTORIA’S high country cattlemen have lashed out at the State Government, describing the current bushfire crisis gripping southeast Australia as avoidable.

Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria president Bruce McCormack has accused Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Labor of having “short memories” in their management of fuel loads in the Alpine National Park and State Parks in the lead up to the fires.

“We tried to warn everyone back in 2005 (when grazing cattle over summer in the Alpine National Park was banned by the-then Bracks Labor Government) that fire fuel loads would become unmanageable,” Mr McCormack said. “We pleaded with everyone, begged them to listen not just to us, but to the 150 years of bush management we had as evidence.

“The Government consistently ignored our pleas – first for cattle to return, and then later that cool burning (over winter) wasn’t being done on a large-enough scale.”

Merrijig-based Mr McCormack, who still runs cattle on a State Forest lease in the King Valley but mustered most of them out last week due to fire risk, said cool winter burns to reduce fuel loads had been carried out by mountain cattlemen for generations.

“I remember riding along with my grandfather through the bush, and him dropping matches as we rode through the snow gums,” Mr McCormack said.

“Those little fires started, and finished, in a matter of hours – and had to be perfectly timed with the weather.

“They were true cool burns, done at the right time by the right people.”

Mr McCormack said cool burns were not enough with many higher areas of the Alpine National Park “totally unsuitable for prescribed burning”. “Above 1200m the authorities do not conduct prescribed burns – this means there is no way to reduce fuel above that altitude,” he said.

He said: “a complete overhaul of State and Alpine Park management” was “the only way forward” to avoid a repeat of this summer’s bushfires. For a better future “the Government needs to look to the past”, he said.

“How can we enjoy our National Parks when the responsible authority does not have the resources to maintain it?” Mr McCormack said.

“This is a bigger issue than just fuel fire management – but right now, that has to be our priority.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and start again; let’s stop consulting bureaucrats sitting behind a desk, and talk to the people who know – I’m talking indigenous Australians, mountain cattlemen, logging experts, hunters and farmers who have been on their land for generations.

“These are the people who have lived and worked the bush for a hundred years – not completed a degree pushing paper that supposedly makes them an expert.”

Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said any suggestion authorities were “not prepared to undertake planned burns is wrong and anyone claiming it is misinformed”.

He said authorities planned to burn 246,396ha of public land in 2018-19 “but were unable to do so because it would have been unsafe”.

“Based on advice from emergency services agencies and local communities, and taking into account the longer bushfire season, fuel reduction was carried out across 142,078a of public land.” Mr Hardman said. “Our No. 1 priority is to protect life and property and that is what we will continue to do.”
A Victorian Government spokeswoman said there was no plans to reintroduce cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park to help reduce fuel loads.
“In 2015 we delivered on our election commitment to ban cattle from Victoria’s Alpine National Park — we have no plans to change this policy,” the spokeswoman said.