Riverside camping Victoria: Agriculture Minister Mary Anne Thomas defends camping plan

A controversial plan to allow camping on Victorian crown river frontages has been “well received” by farmers, the state’s agriculture minister says.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Mary Anne Thomas. Picture: Mark Stewart

Victoria’s agriculture Minister Mary Anne Thomas has swatted away farmers’ concerns that livestock biosecurity will be compromised when campers are allowed on Crown river frontages.

Ms Thomas defended the Andrews Government’s plan to allow camping at state waterways, which had sparked a backlash among farmers, who feared they would be left to police unfenced frontages adjoining their properties.

A watered-down version of the plan, including 27 yet to be announced pilot sites, was announced last week, but no regulations have been released yet.

“I’ve met farmers on the ground and I’m sure that, well, I know that our announcement on Friday was very well received,” Ms Thomas told a Rural Press Club of Victoria webinar on Monday.

Asked how farmers could be sure their grazing livestock’s biosecurity would not be compromised by visiting campers, Ms Thomas said: “People have always been allowed to access this land, and any threats to biosecurity are very minimal, extremely minimal.”

“If farmers have concerns about the behaviour of people camping on Crown land, then they need to raise those with the authorities,” she said.

Farmers will be able to report issues via the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s 13FISH hotline. Fines of up to $1500 will be issued to people found to be doing the wrong thing.

Ms Thomas said she had met with many stakeholders, including speaking regularly with the Victorian Farmers Federation, on the legislation.

The Minister was also asked how the state’s new animal welfare legislation was progressing, following release of proposals for the new laws in April, which included recognising animal sentience and enforceable standards of care.

Ms Thomas conceded completely rewriting the existing act was “a very complex process”, and that the Government continued consulting with the farming, hunting, fishing and the racing industries, among others.

“I feel very confident farmers will welcome the introduction of the act,” she said.

“This (animal welfare) will increasingly become one of the issues that global markets are interested in. I want to make sure we’re right up there and competitive on animal welfare standards.”