Weed policy spray

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
FARMERS and landholders should not be responsible for managing weeds and rabbits on public roadsides.
Neither should local councils have to fund the management of weed control on state-owned roads.
This is the view of an independent working group report on the management of weeds and rabbits in rural Victoria, which was released by the state government last week.
Yarra Ranges Council has welcomed the reports’ findings and looked forward to how the state government would fund weed management.
Agriculture minister Peter Walsh said the report should end years of “buck passing” between state and local governments.
The report confirmed the Victorian Government should be responsible for funding the control of state and regionally prohibited weeds.
Mr Walsh said the report found regionally controlled weeds such as gorse and ragwort should be the responsibility of VicRoads on state roads and local government on municipal roads.
“The report makes a major advance by recommending councils adopt plans for controlling only those weeds on roads which are of priority for their community,” he said.
“Weeds that are not a priority for the local community would not have to be controlled by councils, representing a major cost saving for local government.”
Mr Walsh said the Victorian Government would develop a formal response to the report, and would work with local government on the possible funding and implementation of weed management.
Yarra Ranges Council communications manager Troy Edwards said the report showed a positive way forward in terms of weed management.
“We spend about a million dollars a year on managing weeds,” he said.
“Given our size, clearly there are some issues that will need additional resources, and we look forward to how the state government will fund it.”