Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Gippsland East electorate roadside vegetation

Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (13:04): On 2 October 2020 Labor upper house member Harriet Shing promised an 80-plant nursery for Nowa Nowa to compensate for the loss of the mill in that town. She said:

This initiative will also help to ensure that local community members are able to benefit from the employment opportunities …

Of course it never eventuated. However, what we did not know was that this government would oversee somewhat of a native tree nursery in its centre-of-the-road barriers between Stratford and Bairnsdale – the eucalypts growing well over a metre high, 150 plants at the last count, and a lot of grasses as well. It is an example of the neglect that our roads are facing, and I urge the Minister for Roads and Road Safety to please ensure that timely repairs are made.