VicForests Surveyors

2016-08-31

Ms DUNN (Eastern Metropolitan) — My question is for the Minister for Agriculture. Minister, can I ask: what action have you taken to ensure that VicForests have access to the appropriately skilled personnel to survey logging coupes for threatened species?

Ms PULFORD (Minister for Agriculture) — I thank Ms Dunn for her question. I will provide her with a written response

Supplementary question

Ms DUNN (Eastern Metropolitan) — Thank you, Minister. My supplementary is: why does VicForests continue to fail to locate and identify threatened species in potential logging coupes?

Mr Ramsay — Because you keep getting in the way.

Ms PULFORD (Minister for Agriculture) — I thank Ms Dunn for her supplementary question. I note Mr Ramsay’s interest in Ms Dunn’s interest in these matters, as we get into this a bit in the house from time to time. I will provide Ms Dunn with a written response, but I certainly reject the assertion that the staff of VicForests are behaving improperly. I have great confidence in the team of VicForests in managing a very difficult set of issues.