All SEEMS quiet on the Western (Highway) Front. But Major Roads is preparing a new Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the Victorian Planning Minister and we hear that private negotiations are happening. The new Plan was proposed by Major Roads after Ron Merkel QC revealed in the Supreme Court that VicRoads, as it was then, had agreed to make irregular payments in return for the approval of the original CHMP. This 2012 report omitted major cultural features along the route.
Unfortunately the new CHMP excludes the area around the railway bridge. This eliminates routes using the existing highway on that section of the Highway, therefore NOT protecting the very Djab Wurrung precinct that began the controversy. The excluded area was culturally surveyed in 2018 by Dr. Heather Builth, an independent cultural heritage assessor. This survey found one culturally modified scarred tree on the edge of the area where an alternative route could run. Nothing was found that can compare with the hollow habitation tree on the planned route, and the report recommends that VicRoads investigate this corridor.
KORS Inc has recently written to the Premier asking for a review of the route. This could be done in the time of the CHMP preparation. Our letter was well documented with 5 pages of independent references. We cited less destruction overall and the saving of 95 ancient trees, protection of cultural heritage on the eastern end of the stage, fewer emissions and less funding as reasons for an alternative route. We have not had a reply from the Premier or his office.
Most of the funding for the Highway deviation is from the Commonwealth Government. So KORS forwarded its letter to the Premier to relevant Federal Members of Parliament asking the Members to represent us to the Minister for Infrastructure, Minister Joyce.
We wrote a second letter to Federal parliamentarians attaching an independent report from Transport analyst, engineer and economist, William McDougall. In his report Mr. McDougall finds the state Government's three major justifications for the duplication in 2011 will not be achieved, are not called for or are inefficient compared to alternatives. Mr. McDougall’s report has also been sent to all State MP’s with a request for representations to the Premier and Minister for Infrastructure to re-examine the Environmental expense of the Deviation.
With both Federal and State elections coming up the response to our letters particularly from the local representatives has been very disappointing.
KORS will be asking all of the candidates for the Wannon electorate to state clearly their attitude to the Environmental and Cultural destruction on the unnecessary planned deviation.
It is now 10 years since the Highway EES was commissioned and accepted. In that time, the Climate Crisis has become more widely accepted as real. The protection of every piece of environment is critical. The unnecessary bulldozing of 5.7 km of natural pasture and woodland and 97 ancient habitat trees is a crime.
With the State election in November, KORS can get some media attention on the disastrous deviation route. Letters to Editors are an excellent avenue for you to show your support for alternative routes. The unnecessary expense must be questioned when the Pandemic and the eternal "BIG BUILD" have contributed heavily to the enormous state debt.
KORS will be asking all of the candidates for the Ripon electorate to state clearly their attitude to the Environmental and Cultural destruction on the unnecessary planned deviation.
KORS' recent legal challenges asking for access to confidential documents relating to the Highway approval have been expensive. A generous donation from Marty Finucane, of Ararat, has made it possible for KORS to pay the court costs.
Marty donated to the KORS all his earnings from shearing a good-sized mob of weaners. Thank you, Marty.
Our donations are spent wisely with thought to maximum benefit for the dollar. Of course, if you want to support us financially donations can be made on our GoFundMe page.