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Saturday 7th October Ð Open Committee Meeting
Venue Ð Walkerville Hall at 10am
A lot has happened since the last newsletter in April, but unfortunately very little has changed in a behavioral sense, the DS & E continue to Fob off and ignore public opinion. The foreshore committee while continuing to manage the camping ground successfully have no interest in or are positively against improvements in other parts of Walkerville that would benefit campers, tourists, locals and fishermen.
The boat ramp saga in recent years can be summarized as follows Ð
2004 Ð Preparation of coastal erosion study by consultants offered 5 solutions for boat launching facilities. This study was commissioned by the Foreshore Committee.
October 2005 Ð Foreshore committee accepts report and votes in favour of a proposal (3a) that will spend $490,000 on a car park and landscaping whilst only spending $10,000 on clearing a few rocks on the beach. Essentially this is a do nothing proposal from a boat launching and boating safety perspective. It still maintains a mixture of vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the beach during busy periods.
April 2006 Ð DS & E who are responsible for the Foreshore Committee tell them that the DS & E policy on the boat ramp is whatever anyone elseÕs policy is (except of course the Marine Safety Policy). How enlightening.
April 2006 Ð Foreshore committee receives results of community survey on the coastal Erosion Study and engages a specialist consultant to analyze the numerous submissions
July 2006 Ð Consultant submits survey results to the Foreshore Committee showing widespread support for option 5 which is an all weather boat ramp in front of the Hall and eliminates the current vehicle/pedestrian traffic mix on the beach.
August 2006 Ð Majority of Foreshore Committee members vote to reaffirm their support for the do nothing on the beach option (3a) in spite of overwhelming support for option 5.
August 2006 Ð Foreshore committee writes to DS & E confirming its decision and suggesting the DS & E should make a final decision.
8th September, 2006 Ð DS & E writes back to Foreshore committee and says keep up the good work and we support your decision.
WHAT A BUNCH OF TURKEYS AT DS & E
This sort of rubbish has been going on for 10 years and itÕs time the DS & E where taken out of the equation. They are about as capable of managing the tourism aspects at Walkerville as the Tourism Ministry is capable of running the Veterans Affairs Department Ð They wouldnÕt know which way is up.
The fight will go on as long as it takes to reinstate the democratic process at Walkerville. The logical solution is for the Government to place Foreshore committees under the direct management of the local shire who are democratically elected. The minister of local Government who is responsible for the Shire of South Gippsland should seek input from the Tourism Portfolio or Marine Safety when there are conflicts of interest on particular issues.
The Walkerville Progress Association is not philosophically committed for or against the boat ramp, we are however incensed at the skullduggery and obfuscation that has surrounded the issue for so many years. It is the local landowners and environmental elite who continue to decide whatÕs best for everyone. The 15,000 or so tourist or campers who visit Walkerville each year either from local or other areas continue to have no voice in what may or may not happen at Walkerville.
DS & E Bureaucrats in conjunction with their appointed Foreshore committee members are sole arbiters of what affects so many other people, this process cannot go on forever Ð You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.
In the absence of any other vehicle we encourage as many people as possible to join the Walkerville Progress Association Ð the fees arenÕt high, everybody is welcome and all points of view will be listened to and member majority voting will be the sole arbiter of local issues.
OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE
2nd May, 2006 - Letter to DS & E introducing W.P.A.
5th July, 2006 - Letter to South Gippsland Shire introducing to W.P.A.
5th July, 2006 - Letter to Consumer Affairs VIC requesting incorporation
7th July, 2006 - Letter to Walkerville Foreshore Committee introducing W.P.A.
7th July, 2006 - Letter to CEO at DS & E requesting more specific answers to previously raised questions
6th August, 2006 - Letter to Foreshore Committee seeking response to our earlier letter
16th August, 2006 Further letter to CEO at DS & E requesting response to our letter
16th August, 2006 Further letter to South Gippsland Shire seeking response
29th August, 2006 Letter to all attendees at inaugural meeting inviting those who hadnÕt already joined to consider joining.
19th September, 2006 Press Release to Foster Mirror (attached) in answer to recent newspaper articles about Walkerville issues.
INCOMING CORRESPONDANCE
12th May, 2006 - Letter from DS & E acknowledging our May 6th letter saying they Òlook forward to working with the WPAÓ but not specifically answering any of the issue we raised.
7th August, 2006 - Letter from DS & E pointing out that
á We should raise our views with the Foreshore Committee and not the DS & E
á The management plan is a ÔlivingÕ document which will be updated on a regular basis and will include community engagement and publication consultant processes (which they will of course ignore)
á Any proposal for the boat ramp will have to be consistent with the Coastal Management act 1995
7th August, 2006 - Letter from South Gippsland Shire saying very little but inviting us to liaise with the General Manager of Operations Ð Joanne Stringer
August, 2006 - Reply from Walkerville Foreshore Committee apologizing for late reply and inviting WPA to attend their quarterly meeting.
The Foreshore Committee
The Foreshore Committee comprises 12 people appointed by
the DS & E in a voluntary capacity to manage the Walkerville Foreshore in accordance with
God knows how many acts of Parliament but with negligible input from the wider Victorian
community. Most of the committee are local farmers who genuinely believe they are doing the
right thing in ignoring the wishes of the wider community lest it leads to the destruction of the
area because it is overrun by Tourists.
We donÕt believe there is a balanced view on the Foreshore committee that takes
on board the views of the 15,000 annual visitors to Walkerville but rather those of both landowners and wishes of the bureaucrats at the DS & E who have been solely responsible for the current state of affairs at Walkerville. The Foreshore Committee meet at the Walkerville Hall on Friday 6th October at 7.30pm and have advertised that they invite public input Ð it should be an interesting meeting.
The Friends of Walkerville
This group is greatly aggrieved that there is any sort of improvement at
Walkerville let alone a boat ramp. Their views are entirely singular Ð environment,
environment, environment but at the expense of almost any other issue. There is a need for good
environmental management on the fragile area of coast and groups such as ÒF.O.WÓ, but there
are also ÔpeopleÕ issues that must be dealt with on an ongoing basis and one of these is boating
safety. The F.O.W have no more right to see boating barred at Walkerville than the boat club
does to request safer boating facilities.
Walkerville Ratepayers Association
Continues to offer a majority viewpoint of local property owners Ð but that is all, they represent 100 properties or so. They donÕt take into account the needs of the wider community.
WHERE IS IT ALL GOING?
There was a time when all groups worked a lot closer together than they do at present (not necessarily in agreeance) at Walkerville and there is no reason to believe that we wonÕt be able to pull in the same direction again in the future. These issues have come to a heads because the boat club and families that enjoy Walkerville who donÕt own properties have been ignored for too long.
Good leadership is what is needed to create a situation where there is a sensible substantial plan for the future of Walkerville that balances the needs of everybody involved.
THIS IS UNLIKELY TO BE, THE DS & E WHO ARE OUT OF THEIR DEPTH.
THE GOVERNMENT MUST TRANSFER FORESHORE RESPONSIBILTIES TO A MORE CAPABLE AND ELECTED BODY SUCH AS THE SHIRE OF SOUTH GIPPSLAND.
Steve Graham
President