To the Editor,
The Mayor of Casey raises a valid concern about the pressure on older residents to maintain our Green Wedges (Rural lots crippled, page 3, 28 March) – but sub-division is not the answer.
Melbourne’s 12 Green Wedges, including the foothills of Casey, are a precious inheritance for Victorians that must be saved at all cost. They are the lungs of Melbourne that allow us to breathe. They support agricultural industries. They provide open space for our recreation. And they preserve our native plants and animals.
The question is not whether we should allow landholders or councils to carve up this vital land for economic gain, but how can we support these landholders and councils to continue to protect and enhance this vital public asset for future generations?
Cr Colin Butler’s view that sub-division should be allowed is the thin edge of a dangerous wedge. For make no mistake, the future of our green wedges and Melbourne’s reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities is at risk.
While the State Government in late 2002 passed far-sighted legislation to protect the wedges, the benefits of the green wedges would be nibbled away with each development decision that strays from this course.
In addition, green wedge landholders need to be supported significantly. Serious thought is therefore needed now of initiatives that can ensure healthy, productive land in the green wedges to provide the range of public benefits that are intended from these areas.
Schemes such as Bush Tender and Eco Tender, which pay landholders to protect the biodiversity on their land, and the trading of carbon offsets, could be potential ways to share the cost of protecting land which provides enormous public benefits.
The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority is hosting a series of Green Wedge Forums to feed into the State Government’s upcoming White Paper on Land Health and Biodiversity and the 12 Green Wedge Management Plans currently being developed by the interface councils.
A forum for the south-east is being held in Pakenham on Monday, June 25, at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, and we invite people with an interest in the long-term future and sustainability of the green wedges to attend. |