Ash Feb 09 Fuel reduction

DSE should have been justifying where grazing, mowing and removal or lopping of Native vegetation should require a permit---- not the other way around. ( Since NVR came in , its just been a hamfisted moving feast of regulations aimed at increased review and decreased access ; a huge body of bush picnic that's now large enough to confuse a queens councillor dedicated to try and understand it )
Shires have finally listed (Oct 2008 ) some exemptions from the myriad of native vegetation clauses that have for a decade confused most planners , let alone any poor citizen who tries to read them "40cm girth 1.5 metres high ".

Time to redress the imbalance - let the people know what their rights are to make decisions. Make it clear to a confused and frightened public ( "you /we need a permit, ....tell us what you want to do inwriting and we will tell you whether we approve it .... so we did nothing") For over a decade now none could tell you when and where slashing, mowing, grazing,lopping and fence clearing could be carried out.

Instead of spending all their time viewing permit applications from all over the place , the NEW exemptions should be publicized and made clear ; Ever sinve NVR came there was this confusion and implied permitable action stuff; seeking to gain the power to control "to the maximum extent" possible ; Rural people felt they had to get a permit for everything and not cut anything down . Real managers of roadsides, boundaries and assets need desperately to regain the sense of reasonable control they used to have and need to operate with common sense.

How far can you trim branches hanging over your fence,or your assets- it was clear in the city : how come it wasn't in the country for so long ? Direct publications are now needed to redress decades of determined resistance and rural confusion about " what we are supposed/allowed to do "
The balance of responsibility is still all wrong. It should be up to DSE/Shires to justify why they let flora and fauna protection "concerns" override Fire protection and adjacent land managers responsibility for using common sense .
And still more : whose responsible for the confusion - DSE , or the Shires or the government who let this NVR legislation and the duplication of "agencies responsible" result in an ever moving feast.