kallista keen to keep green

I was delighted to be able to join with the class of 2013 at Kallista Kindergarten to plant a tree in the George Tindale Memorial Garden as part of their nature kinder program.

In a wonderful agreement between the kinder and Parks Victoria, the preschoolers visit the garden every week and undertake nature based activities.

The George Tindale Memorial Gardens is one of the jewels in the Dandenong Ranges, known for it's gorgeous European influenced gardens. There's a great collection of cool climate, acid soil loving plants including magnolias, rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and hydrangeas and dotted about the garden are some stunning sculptures.

I'm pleased to report visitors to the garden can now enjoy one of the newest plantings, an "Acer Palmatum dissectum "Raraflora", also known as a Weeping Japanese Maple, planted by the kids from Kallista Kindergarten as part of their nature program.

Due to the success of the nature program at Kallista Kinder it will be extended to both the 3 and 4 year old cohorts in 2014. It's a great story of partnership, where children get up close and personal to nature in a beautiful local setting.

samantha in the media

Eastern Transport Coalition wants State Government to include projects in State Budget
Leader Newspapers
by Laura Jolly
27 Dec 2013

David and Goliath take Melbourne (at 1:20 mins mark)
 Channel 31
by Georgia Georgadas
2 Jan 2014

Bushfire retreats listed
Mail Newspapers
by Kath Gannaway

Commuters urged to add voices
Mail Newspapers
by Rebecca Bills

 

Roots of play

Mail Newspapers

by Rebecca Bills

21 Jan 2014

 





design guidelines off to panel

report from the roundtable – 28 may

 

At this week’s meeting councillors had to consider submissions to what we call C126, a Planning Scheme Amendment (PSA) incorporating a set of Design and Development Overlays (DDOs) that provide guidance about the type of built form we’d like to see in our townships. The DDOs are a translation of Vision2020 by Design, ultimately for incorporation into the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme.

I was pleased to be able to move the motion to request that the Minister for Planning appoint an independent planning panel to consider all the submissions to PSA C126.  Given that there are some issues that cannot be resolved in some submissions the only option available to council is to take the PSA to a panel or abandon the amendment, which certainly wasn’t on the cards.

The DDO’s will give the planning scheme more rigour as they provide a finer grain of detail of what the built form elements of townships should be. The DDOs detail what council’s expectations are in relation to built form and will assist future applicants in understanding Council’s design objectives.

It was interesting to note that of the 72 submissions, 57 of them were in relation to the issue of drive through restaurants in the Dandenong Ranges. In considering the submissions officers have recommended that an addition be made to the design guidelines for  DDO14 (this applies to Olinda, Mt Dandenong, Sassafras and Kallista) and DDO15 (this applies to Belgrave) being:

“Buildings that include drive through sales facilities associated with a convenience restaurant are discouraged”.

Officers have also recommended that Tecoma (originally in DDO13) be included in DDO14 as a response to submissions about the similarity of Tecoma with other villages of the Dandenongs.

I was pleased to support the officer’s recommendations and this will form part of council’s submission to the planning panel. 

The planning panel will also provide submitters with the opportunity to participate in the panel process to reinforce their original submission. I’d certainly encourage all submitters to participate, it is important that the planning panel have a full understanding of the issues raised.

I’m pleased to say that councillors voted unanimously to support the motion.

 

Note: Crs McCarthy and Avery absent, Cr Child left the chamber declaring a conflict of interest due to an interest in properties in Warburton and Yarra Junction located within the exhibited DDOs.

 

new design and development overlays on exhibition now

Yes, sorry for the planning speak, but it's important council gets your views on what's known as Amendment C126, as this is all about the built form of new developments in our townships. I know that built form and township character have been key issues for some very controversial applications in the Lyster Ward so I encourage you to have your say on this consultation. The eventual outcome in this process is for Amendment C126 to be incorporated into the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme to give more weight to local design priorities.

Where does the amendment apply?

The amendment applies  Design and Development Overlays (DDO’s) to the following town centres:

Belgrave, Belgrave South, Coldstream, Kallista, Kilsyth, Healesville, Monbulk, Montrose, Mt Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Seville, Tecoma, Upwey, Wandin North, Warburton, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen and  Yarra Junction. 

What will the DDOs do?

The new overlays will provide design guidelines for new developments in these town centres. So they are all about the built form component of new developments. The design guidelines will make it easier for potential applicants and other interested parties to understand Council’s design objectives for the future development of town centre areas.

 The design guidelines will be used in the assessment of planning permit applications and in pre- application discussions with potential planning applicants. The new overlays will not increase the number of matters that currently require planning permits.

What information is available?

The Amendment info includes maps highlighting where the proposed DDOs will apply and a 'schedule' which details the sorts of things that are being considered to be included in the DDO. This includes things such as a character statement describing the town, the design objectives describing what's important to the town, what things are exempt, design requirements which has specific information detailing the town centre character, landscaping, the interface with public places and residential areas, car park design and if applicable design guidelines for key redevelopment sites. 

How can you find out more?

Community members can view the proposed design guidelines and other Amendment C126 documents at the following locations:

~ Council’s Community Links - our closest Monbulk or Upwey
~ Council’s website here

The closing date for submissions is 26 April 2013.

Submissions should be addressed to the Manager, Strategic Planning, PO Box 105 Lilydale 3140 or mail@yarraranges.vic.gov.au, quoting Amendment C126.

kallista community house, another successful year

It was wonderful to be able to preside over the annual elections at the Kallista Community House AGM.

Kallista Community House President, Fyona Mitaxa and
Lyster Ward Councillor, Samantha Dunn celebrate
another successful year for the house.

Due to the rolling terms of the committee, this year saw dedicated community member, Kathy Cann, re-elected to the committee. 

It's been another big year for the house with Sue Etherington commencing as the new House Coordinator. During the year the house played a key role in the development of a new Christmas Carols event, which showcased local performers (and was terrific!). They continue to provide space for the Healing Sounds Group and Book Club. 

In a new initiative, the house provides space for the very successful Ukelele group - Kalulu. Workshops covering Retirement Villages and Wills & Power of Attorney were also delivered 

During the year the house partnered with BCAP to provide lantern making workshops as part of the Belgrave Lantern Parade. The house also partners with Belgrave South Community House to offer local seniors access to the 'Cafe Club' bus trips through long term partners U3A and Interlink. 

The House offers Occasional Childcare, which fortunately is funded by DEEWR, so wasn't under threat from the withdrawal of Take a Break funding. 100 families use the service and the centre provided just under 3,000 hours care in the past year. The Playgroup sessions are also very popular, with all sessions fully booked. 

It's wonderful to see such energy and enthusiasm for community development, I congratulate Kallista Community House Committee of Management, their staff and dedicated volunteers.

samantha in the press - townships

Woolies super hoax
Mail Newspapers
by Casey Neill
6 March 2012

kallista community house still going strong

It was terrific to attend the Kallista Community House AGM last week. It's always great to visit local community houses and see the diversity of activities and services available for community members and Kallista Community House is no exception.

Kathy Cann, long time house supporter, past house manager and current house committee member and Cr Samantha Dunn checking out the diversity of courses on offer at Kallista Community House.

It's been another good year for the house, despite the gloomy financial outlook of the GFC. The house has continued to offer a diverse range of classes including photography, painting and drawing, singing, cooking, health and fitness, first aid and computer classes.

The house also continued to provide Childcare, one of their staples whilst Playgroup has been very popular too with a second day added to the program.

I thanked the house for their ongoing efforts, particularly the wonderful community market, Kallista Community Market, a terrific example of community engagement providing locals with a chance to relax and chat in a beautiful setting. I also thanked the committee and volunteers that make it all happen, they contribute greatly to our community and the social fabric of the area and are to be commended.

samantha in the press - planning

Towers' bad reception Mail Newspapers 29 March 2011........... Fallout patched up Mail Newspapers by Russell Bennett 29 March 2011

latest update - party in the patch

I've had confirmation from Party in the Patch organisers that they will be donating $200 to the Kallista/The Patch CFA from their past fundraising events.

As mentioned in a prior blog post as a show of goodwill I am willing to match the PITP contribution with monies from my community ward fund.

Myself and Party in the Patch organisers will be presenting our respective donation cheques to the Brigade some time next week.

No doubt the Kallista/The Patch CFA will be very pleased to receive the funding and it's a great recognition of the work they do so selflessly for our community.

My advice to anyone organising an event is that it's important to determine whether you're having a private party or a public event as it has a great bearing on your responsibilities and your duty of care.

celebrating 6 years of hard work

It was great to join the John’s Hill Landcare Group to celebrate the finalisation of six years of planting along a tract of land straddling the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the Cardinia Shire.

Me pictured with John's Hill Landcare group president, Karen Alexander. Behind us is the very first planting of the Landcare group 6 years ago and it is thriving.

The success of the planting is overwhelming, from years of planting and weed work along the unmade section of Ridge Road, Kallista and Ridge Road East, Emerald there is a now a mini forest thriving and full of wildlife.

It was terrific to see the group take the time out to recognise and celebrate their achievements and acknowledge the efforts of all of their volunteers.

curbing cockie crunching and munching

report from the roundtable – 13 apr

This week's council meeting saw council approve a concerted education campaign, a focussed advocacy effort and the development of a local law to address the issue of sulphur crested cockatoo feeding and chewing in the Shire.

A problem that has brewing for the last four years, it was time to put some focussed effort and attention into addressing the issue of cockatoo feeding. Feeding sulphur crested cockatoos sees the birds cause all sorts of damage to buildings, fixtures, fittings, forests and ferns, because instead of foraging for food in the wild the birds have a plenty of time spare to chew. Not only that, it is not good for the birds either.

These cockatoos are chewing away on the retaining walls at Grant's Picnic Ground in Sherbrooke Forest. Parks Victoria have committed to initiatives to restrict the feeding of birds at Grants Picnic Grounds which include a designated feeding enclosure. There will also be limits to the volume of seed sold from the kiosk and a prohibition on seed being brought into Grant's Picnic Grounds.

The cockies need to chew to keep their beaks well honed and in good health, it is a natural behaviour generally done whilst the birds are foraging for food, whilst they don't need to forage because of a constant supply of food, they do need to chew.

The damage the birds have caused in townships across the Dandenongs is incredible, the level of destruction quite unbelievable. Feeding of the birds has seen neighbour pitted against neighbour as frustration levels get higher and higher as destruction from cockatoos continues.

It is not only backyard feeding that is contributing to the problem. The cockatoo feeding at Grant's Picnic Ground saw Kallista under siege last year as the birds gnawed the community house, bollards in the village green, fixtures at the kinder, the historic mechanics hall, power supply lines and local residences.

Grant's Picnic Ground is about 100 metres from the Kallista PreSchool, the preschool suffered ongoing attacks from cockatoos on its wooden fixtures and fittings in 2009, costing parents and ratepayers a fortune. This money could be far better used than cleaning up after cockies.

It was time to tackle the issue head on. At a public meeting last year I gave a commitment to the community to look at the issue and investigate the legal instruments that could be used as an enforcement tool against feeding.

This week I moved the following motion:

That Council:

1. Lobby the Minister for Environment to modify the licence conditions for the restaurant at Grants Picnic Grounds to prohibit the sale of wild bird seed for the purpose of feeding sulphur crested cockatoos on the basis that it is putting the birds at risk.

2. Further seek the prohibition of feeding sulphur crested cockatoos throughout the Shire and support the provision of signage.

3. In unison with DSE, continue to campaign throughout the Shire to educate the community of the risks to the wild birds caused by feeding and associated
dependency. This should include tourist organisations who promote the feeding of wild birds in the Shire.

4. Commence the development of a local law in relation to sulphur crested cockatoo feeding for consideration by Council in Twelve months.

The motion was supported 7 votes for to 1 vote against.
(note: Cr Cliff was absent from this meeting)

art of three at chapel gallery

It was terrific to officially open the Art of Three exhibition at the Chapel Gallery, located in the Kallista Uniting Church. The exhibition includes the work of John Dudley, June Barnett and Charlie Tong. John and June are members of the prestigious Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, with John currently holding the position of President.

From left to right: June Barnett - artist, Karleen Osborne - director, Samantha Dunn - councillor and John Dudley - artist. Art of Three is a wonderful collaborative effort between the Chapel Galley and artists June, John and Charlie.

Local arts community supporters came out for the opening and it was wonderful to see such broad support of the gallery. The Chapel Gallery provides a place for local artists to exhibit their work and is also a place where community members can seek solace and a cup of tea and a chat too.

It was terrific to see the works of John, June and Charlie, the gallery is fortunate to have the support of these local artists. All funds raised from the sale of works at the gallery go towards community outreach projects. It’s a great spot to stop and check out the myriad of different works available for sale. The church is to be commended for their efforts to support community and local artists at the same time. They do much to bond our community and make the Dandenongs a better place to live.

70kph too soon

I have long been an advocate for 50kph speed zones throughout our townships and was delighted when Kallista finally got approval for a 50kph speed zone through the township (see blog).

This 70kph sign needs to be another 100 metres down the road. Monbulk Road is extremely busy, this photo was taken at midday and is typical of the traffic on the road. Increasing the 50kph zone past Grant's Picnic Ground would be much safer for motorists and pedestrians.

When the signage was erected throughout Kallista I was quite perplexed about the placement of a 70kph sign on the Kallista side of the Grant’s Picnic Ground access way. It would seem to me much safer to put the sign on the Belgrave side of the access way. Given the amount of traffic on Monbulk Road and the amount of traffic turning into Grant’s Picnic Ground it would be much safer for this part of Monbulk Road to be included in Kallista’s 50kph zone.

A number of residents have also raised this issue with me. Clearly a community concern, I had the shire traffic engineers write to the Regional Director of Vic Roads calling for a relocation of the signage.

I hope the response from Vic Roads is positive. Shifting the signage towards Belgrave would be a huge safety improvement for traffic along Monbulk Road and also for pedestrians crossing from Grant’s Picnic Ground to Sherbrooke Forest.

Too often the Shire receives a no from Vic Roads, particularly for our ongoing requests for 50kph zones. I will soon be taking up the matter of 50kph zones again, too long have the Yarra Ranges townships of Belgrave South, Coldstream, Montrose, Millgrove, Mt Dandenong, Selby, Tecoma, Wandin North, Wesburn, Woori Yallock and Yarra Glen been waiting for long overdue safety improvements and speed limit reductions.

cockatoo clean up for kallista

Kallista community members will be familiar with the cockatoo damage wrought on the Kallista Village Green (see blog) and throughout the township last year.

I’m pleased to see that work has commenced on replacing all the damaged bollards on site at the village green as well as additional landscaping improvements as well. The wooden bollards have been replaced with recycled plastic bollards. The new bollards contain waste sawdust as well, making them stronger and more natural looking too. I’m assured by cockatoo experts that the birds will get no joy when trying to chew the recycled plastic bollards and the bollards should be able to withstand any attempts by cockatoos to chew them to bits.

To the left the new bollards, to the right a couple of very chewed bollards. The new recycled plastic bollards are a welcome replacement to the chewed wooden ones. Cockatoos did an amazing amount of damage to every wooden bollard on the village green and didn't stop there, the community house and mechanics hall also got a beating.

Last year I called for an investigation into the next best move for council to address the ongoing issue of the cockatoo chew (see blog). In the interim I have worked with the DSE and council officers to develop an information flyer about the pitfalls of feeding wildlife, in particular cockatoos. I funded the printing of the flyer through my ward fund late last year.

I have been working on securing funding for the flyer distribution which is now possible via the Shire so they will be making their way to residents across the Dandenongs in the near future.

Council will soon be considering a report on the where to from here with cockatoos, watch this space for more info….

kallista holds cockie meeting

cockie communal chew continues

Once again, cockatoos topped the talk at this month’s Kallista Market.

The devastation the cockatoos have caused in the region is staggering.

The damage to bollards is extensive and the Shire will be replacing them with recycled plastic bollards in the near future.

This does not come cheaply and it is ratepayers who bear the cost of their replacement.

Add to this the costs that residents incur for cockatoo damage to their own properties, it is understandable that people are saying enough is enough.
A proforma letter was being circulated at the market by one resident determined to see the feeding at Grant’s Picnic Ground stopped. She was well supported by marketgoers, who were more than happy to put pen to paper to see this practice stopped.

If you would like a copy of the proforma supplied to you contact me on s.dunn@yarraranges.vic.gov.au for an electronic copy.

The DSE have just finalised a Living with Wildlife fact sheet which makes specific reference to the issue of cockatoo damage:
“Causing problems for humans…..DSE frequently receives complaints from people whose neighbours have been feeding wild animals. Often, the animals have become a nuisance and the caller wants them killed or removed. Many people do not think about the neighbourhood impact when they start feeding wildlife. Wild animals do not usually discriminate between one human and another, and will often start pestering neighbours for food. They may also cause damage to homes and property. For example, cockatoos need to chew items to maintain their beaks at the correct length and condition. They generally achieve this by chewing bark and branches in their roost trees. When people give them food, they tend to hang around near where they are fed. They also have more “free time” as they don’t need to forage. This can result in cockatoos chewing on timber fittings, outdoor furniture, other household fittings or vegetation on neighbouring properties. The best solution is to find out who is feeding the birds and ask them to stop.”

If you’d like a copy of the fact sheet email me on s.dunn@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.

I am more than happy to work with Parks Victoria and the DSE about education materials for our community so people understand the ramifications of feeding wildlife.





However whilst this practice still goes on at Grant’s Picnic Ground it is going to be very difficult to encourage residents to do the right thing whilst doing the wrong thing still continues at Grant’s.


























And how do residents within range of Grant’s Picnic Ground get their neighbours to stop feeding? Why should they bear the cost of ongoing and significant repairs due to cockatoo feeding?

This is recent damage to one of the windows at the Kallista Community House, the only way to stop it happening again is to replace the windows with aluminium frames. As the windows are not a standard size custom frames must be made, making replacement costs as much as $2,000 per window. On Saturday I noticed that three of the windows in the community house has been chewed by cockatoos, not to mention the front door which has also been under attack.

Repair costs are hefty, to date the Shire expects to outlay:
$3,250 – Belgrave Library, to replace damaged cedar weatherboards and fit bird wire to protect the ceiling windows from further attack (please note this damage is likely to be from a local flock of cockatoos in the Belgrave region).
$7,500 – Kallista Village Green, to replace bollards
$2,000 per window frame, there are 3 so far – Kallista Community House
$?? – front doors – Kallista Community House
$?? – uprights – Kallista Community House
$?? – ramp – Kallista Community House
$?? – railings – Kallista Community House
$?? – fascia board – Kallista Community House
$?? – bollards – Kallista township, main street
$?? – signage for Heidelberg Artists Trail, Kallista

The Belgrave Library needed repairs as cockatoos had chewed along the window frames, the entire length of the building had to be enclosed with bird wire to stop the damage reoccuring.
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Many costs are unknown, are likely to be ongoing and this list only reflects costs the Shire is bearing. What about individual residents, Kallista Kindergarten parents, Kallista Mechanics Hall committee, businesses in the region? We cannot continue to patch up cockatoo damage year after year, state government has to give this issue the serious consideration it deserves.

keep wildlife wild

shocked by the cockatoo chew

report from the roundtable - 14th July

Council reserves a place on the agenda for councillors to report back on their activities since the last council meeting, it's called report from delegates.

I reported on a number of things, including the recent Treasure Vase Ceremony (see blog) and the ETC Monster Petition being launched next week, but foremost I wanted to highlight to my fellow councillors the latest turn of events in relation to the cockatoo problem and their continued attacks on infrastructure in Kallista.

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I recently attended the Kallista Mechanics Hall AGM (see blog) where I was presented with an extreme example of the recent cockatoo damage. The committee presented me with their chewed power supply line, the line that runs from the main power lines on the street to the power supply connection on the hall. The cockatoos had chewed through the outer casing, the insulation and into the power supply line itself, the peck marks in the metal self evident. I thought it important that my colleagues saw the line for themselves and the extent of the damage done so I brought it in to the meeting to show them.

This latest episode is alarming and the potential risk to the public is worrying. Clearly there needs to be an urgent education campaign around the consequences of feeding cockatoos. Although in the case of the Kallista Mechanic's Hall, Kallista Community House, Kallista Pre School, Kallista Village Green, Kallista businesses and nearby residents it's going to be very problematic to get the neighbours to stop feeding the cockatoos, given that the neighbours, Grant's Picnic Ground, is within the 200 metres of this area, the range that the DSE believes cockatoos will cause damage from human feeding.

let’s talk cockie

Last week I attended a meeting, urgently convened, to talk about the cockatoo problem in the Dandenong Ranges, specifically around the Kallista and Menzies Creek regions of the Dandenongs.

These cockatoos have been slowly chewing their way through the bollards at the Kallista Village Green. I was told today that they have chewed through to the metal railing. The bollards will soon be replaced with the ratepayers bearing the cost of their replacement.

The meeting was attended by myself, James Merlino (MP for Monbulk) and staff, representatives of Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Tammy Lobato (MP for Gembrook).

There was no doubt that the problem of cockatoo damage was widely acknowledged as a significant issue by all in the room.

The DSE categorically stated that damage to buildings was caused due to the feeding of the birds. It was also said that the feeding would be in and around the vicinity of the damage in a radius of approximately 100 to 200 metres.

So if you are more than 200 metres from Grant’s Picnic Ground and experiencing cockatoo damage there is someone in your local area providing cockatoos with food. The DSE were clear-cut in this fact.

The meeting discussed the broader issue of wildlife feeding across the state, the legislative instruments available for the longer term and the need to have a major cultural shift so people understood why it was a bad idea to feed cockatoos.

This advertisement was published last year by the Shire in an effort to educate people about the consequences of feeding cockatoos. Given the cockatoo damage experienced this year, there is a lot more work to be done on education.

Education was seen as a vital step to effecting change. With the cooperation of DSE, Parks Victoria, James Merlino and myself it was agreed to develop succinct information for distribution to residents in the Dandenong Ranges to start a focused education process.

As a longer term outlook the DSE have committed to providing an assessment of the legislative process required.

It must be remembered that it is not the DSE that make the call on whether legislation is appropriate, it is our state parliamentarians and their will to see it happen.

cockies top the talk

I was invited to chair the Triennial General Meeting of the Kallista Mechanics Hall Committee of Management, which was held last Thursday. The committee have done a fine job managing the hall and have done much to increase the number of bookings for the hall.

I also had the job of presiding over the elections and was pleased to announce John Lloyd as the President and Venetia Barnard as the Secretary/Bookings Officer for the next three years.

There was much talk about many things, the committee is starting to focus on the centennial of the hall coming up in 2014, an exciting time, which will be a great celebration of a much loved community hall.

Hot topic of the night was the cockatoos and their unrelenting attacks on the hall. Since I last visited the hall the cockatoos have managed to chew completely through to the top finial (see blog 21 June 09), in a matter of only days it has gone completely.

As reported in an earlier blog entry I am seeking a meeting of agencies and MPs so something can be done to address this issue. To date the Shire is waiting to hear back on availability.

In my most recent visit to Kallista on Saturday (27 June) I noted that the committee have since covered their railings with metal capping in an attempt to stop the damage. The scattered chips of wood over the stairs showed how much damage the cockatoos had done to the banisters.


These cockatoos have no fear and weren’t concerned about me being close to them at all. The cockatoos have become so used to people they could be considered semi-tame.

This is a upright at Kallista Village Green, the cockatoos have done an extreme amount of damage to the infrastructure in this area.

The Kallista Mechanics Hall, now without its finial, the cost of replacement places an unfair burden on the Committee of Management and their very tight budget. Only days ago this finial was intact.

The same day I decided to visit Grant’s Picnic Ground to see what the cockatoos were up to there, this group were chewing away on a retaining wall well away from the feeding area.

How much longer can our community be expected to pay for this damage?

cockies wreak havoc

report from the roundtable – 9th June

As reported in an earlier blog story the cockatoos have been relentlessly chewing their way through public and private property at an alarming rate. The damage seen at Kallista Village Green over the space of a couple of weeks has been extraordinary.

In an effort to raise awareness and seek much needed assistance from the State Government I moved the following motion:
That Council urgently convene a meeting of local MP’s, Agencies, Shire Officers and interested Councillors to discuss the management of cockatoos so as to reduce ongoing damage to private and public property.

There is no doubt that this is a State Government responsibility as it involves the management of Australian native wildlife. The situation has become untenable with residents facing large repair bills every year due to cockatoo damage.

There is an intrinsic link between feeding cockatoos and cockatoo damage, confirmed by the DSE’s cockatoo expert, Ian Tenby. After last year’s attack from cockatoos the Shire embarked on an education program. This may have worked to a small degree, however whilst large numbers of cockatoos are being fed, particularly at Grant’s Picnic Ground (in a national park no less), we will continue to see damage across the region.

We need the State Government to take responsibility. At the moment it is not illegal to feed the cockatoos (or any native wildlife for that matter), this is something that needs to be urgently addressed, no longer can we accept the continued damage to buildings and our natural assets as cockatoo populations explode out of all proportion.

Native bird feeding has been stopped in other national parks due to problem wildlife, Wilson’s Promontory is a good example of this. This needs to happen here, how much longer can residents endure the annual attacks to property, forking out hefty amounts to replace chewed timber, mortar and all manner of fixtures. How resilient is our forest to the continued chewing of trees and tree ferns.

I know that many residents also get pleasure out of feeding the birds, but given the extreme damage the cockatoos cause this must stop, they have become a problem that is well out of hand.

I am pleased to say that the motion was supported unanimously and I look forward to a positive way forward from our local MPs.

Note: the photos in this entry were taken on Tuesday 9th June, 2009.