A petition containing more than 1,000 signatures, calling on the State Government to review the proposal to close the last two kilometres of Rivermouth Road, was tabled in State Parliament this week.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said he was seeking any plans to close the last two kilometres of the road to be put on hold pending further consultation.
“I believe the public consultation that took place was less than satisfactory as it has become abundantly clear very few people knew about these plans and had little opportunity for input,” he said.
“It is clear consultation did take place with certain groups, but it appears the proposal was not promoted to the general public at all and it did not have a chance to have a say.
“Apart from the petition, I have had a number of local residents remark that they first they heard of this was an article in the local paper saying the decision had been made.
“No open community forums were conducted and that meant that many nearby Eagle Point residents (or the vast majority of the wider Bairnsdale and Paynesville population) had no idea this was planned. I was not advised myself.
“I don’t believe this is good enough for a decision that relates to such a popular local area that is visited by so many. Even people who support the closure, who I have met, have agreed there should be more consultation.
“To rectify this situation, I have asked Parks Victoria to hold wider consultation and suggested perhaps an open day in the Eagle Point Rotunda where people can come and provide a viewpoint.
“I simply want a deeper and more widespread discussion to occur on the topic where people who have lived here all their lives and used this area have the chance to have a say and have the reasons explained for any proposals.
“I have been advised there is no evidence vehicles are contributing to the erosion and that the reason for the closure is to allow planting either side of a walking track, in areas where the full width of the jetties is taken up by the road (so no planting can be done).
“In my conversations on the matter, I was informed renourishment (dredging to reclaim eroded areas) had not been considered. This would allow for the road width and planting adjacent.
“There may be a reason why it can’t occur, but I’ve been told it has not been looked at and the only considerations discussed were (1) to close the road altogether, (2) to keep it open, or (3) close the last two kilometres. I am not sure these are the only options and I have raised this with Parks.
“One matter I believe should be given consideration is he bigger picture relating to the silt jetties. They are eroding naturally and if we are to maintain them into the future renourishment is likely to be required, so perhaps this should be a bigger discussion about whether as a community we want to let nature take its course or maintain them – and if so, what is the cost of maintaining them?
“As a starting point, let’s allow the community to hear the reasons behind the proposed road closure and have some input into the process, something it has been denied to date,” Mr Bull said.
