2020-05-19
The Victorian Greens say investing in a ‘BushCare Jobs Blitz’ and planting ten million trees across the state would create 11,000 much-needed jobs and restore our bushfire-ravaged environment in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Launching their plan today, the Greens are hoping it will provide a blueprint for the Victorian Government when it begins to map out its next steps.
The program could solve three problems in one hit, by helping to create thousands of jobs, boosting investment in regional bushfire-affected towns and restoring our bushfire-ravaged ecosystems.
The Greens’ plan for a BushCare Jobs Blitz includes:
- A large-scale weeding and invasive species eradication program across bushfire-affected public land in Victoria, employing thousands of young people temporarily, and creating new permanent positions in the public service. This would include an expansion of Parks Victoria’s seasonal workforce at a critical time when youth unemployment is spiking.
- Planting 500,000 trees a year over the next ten years in streets, parks and along creek-beds across greater Melbourne. The program would fund the existing ‘Resilient Melbourne’ plan which has a target of 40 per cent canopy cover for Greater Melbourne, but which hasn’t yet been funded by the Victorian Government.
- Planting 500,000 trees a year over the next ten years on private and state-Government-owned land, especially in bushfire-damaged areas, to create jobs for young people and restore our damaged environment.
- A huge program of fencing rivers to keep out stock and keep waterways healthy. This successful program is about to run out of Victorian Government funding, risking jobs and the environment.
- More government funding for research into conservation science, helping to keep jobs in our struggling universities.
Victorian Greens spokesperson for environment, Ellen Sandell, said that Victoria had sadly faced both the summer bushfires and coronavirus in less than a year, and that a BushCare Jobs Blitz would help to solve both crises.
This BushCare Blitz initiative will form part of a Green New Deal for Victoria, which the Greens plan to launch in the coming weeks.
These programs would cost approximately $100 million per year each over the next ten years, would create 11,000 jobs, and could be funded by the $24 billion the Treasurer has already set aside for COVID-19 recovery.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for environment, Ellen Sandell MP:
“Victoria has been hit with two devastating blows: first the bushfires, and now the economic fallout from COVID-19.
“The Victorian Government could help solve both these problems. They could create jobs and help restore our damaged environment by investing in our BushCare Blitz and a program to plant 10 million trees across Victoria.
“It’s a win-win-win: creating jobs, restoring our environment and helping bushfire-ravaged communities.”