Northern Victoria Region
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:42): (25) My question is for the Minister for Environment. Two hundred dedicated volunteers make up Wombat Forestcare. Their collective knowledge has led to important protections in the region, including discovery of one of the rarest plants in the world as well as endangered species such as the mountain skink. Despite extreme weather events that uprooted thousands of trees throughout the Macedon Ranges, the group has witnessed additional clearing along Babbington Hill, Osborne Road and alongside Wombat Creek, an important water supply. Whilst clearing to reduce fire risk is completely legal, it is reportedly the larger logs that are removed and the tinder that is left behind. There are currently two salvage operations being carried out in Wombat State Forest and the Cobaw State Forest, and my constituents would like to know when the minister will provide details of where salvage timber ends up.