The new Board of Gippsland Ports announced today - which oversees the Ports of Mallacoota, Marlo, Gippsland Lakes and the Lake Tyers waterway – does not have a member east of Trafalgar.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said the appointments were typical of this city centric Labor Government.

“It really beggars belief that with the marine and professional experience we have within our region, the Minister could not appoint one local person and instead we have a board where not  a single member lives anywhere near any one of the ports or waterways they have responsibility for.

“Whilst I do not know any of the new Board, I am sure they have the appropriate skills and I look forward to meeting them, but it is simply not right that we have no-one local.

“We have local applicants who are more than suitable and who possess great local knowledge. The Gippsland Ports Board should be predominantly Gippslanders with strong East Gippsland representation.

“Instead we have no East Gippsland representation and a Board made up of people who live in Trafalgar, Warragul, the Mornington Peninsula and two from metropolitan Melbourne.”

Caption: Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said the Gippsland Ports Board should contain local representation.