Tuesday, 20 December 2022

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (16:52): (2) My constituency question is for the Minister for Environment, and I am terribly sorry that she has left the room. But I welcome her to this new job, because I suspect, if this term is like the last, I will have a significant number of serious questions, so it is excellent now to have the environment minister with us in the house – shame she has just left the room. We have just lost her.

Members interjecting.

Bev McARTHUR: We have lost her. Anyway, Minister, in recent years Parks Victoria has, frankly, harassed responsible members of the climbing community, treating them as wreckers and criminals. I sincerely hope this relationship can be reset. Just this weekend a climber at Taipan Wall in the Grampians was aggressively questioned by rangers despite climbing legally. His car had been under surveillance and was recorded as parked on public roads at various locations while containing climbing equipment. He was then cautioned for having no photo ID. So I ask the minister: in her view, is this spying and aggressive questioning proportionate?