Letter emailed in March:
The Grampians experienced severe and extensive damage to its infrastructure during the unseasonal rain event on January 13 and much of this damage will not be repaired or replaced for years and in some cases will never be repaired. It took the park over four years to have infrastructure replaced and repaired after the bushfire of 2006 (which burnt 48% of the park). The difference between 2006 and this event, is that in 2006 the fire was an isolated event, whereas this event has been only one of a large number of flood events vying for government money to repair its infrastructure. We are concerned the recovery from this event will take a lot longer than the 2006 bushfire and the effects this will have on local businesses and the natural values of the park.
The local business people relying on tourism may struggle to keep going as many had not recovered from the fire event and this year tourists had started returning to the park until the flood event on 13th January. While we are concerned for the business people with tourist activities limited as many of the walking tracks are inaccessible because of the extensive road closures,we are more concerned that the road closures mean that parks staff will have more difficulty carrying out their day to day duties. Staff are also needing to take on more tasks being involved with reconstruction activities taking place in the park. In recent times it has been parks policy to not replace staff as they leave the establishment or move to other parks positions around the state. This policy together with the fact that 3 staff are currently on extended leave (of varying descriptions), means the park are effectively 6 staff down before taking on the extra workload as outlined above.
With all the extra workloads, many tasks routinely carried out by permanent parks staff in the area of natural values may be deemed low priority. We are concerned that many of the activities concerning endangered species will fall by the wayside as the more immediate tasks with getting the park facilities up and running again will take priority. There are over twenty species of federally endangered species under Grampians Park management and we are concerned that these will shift to the extinct list.
While we understand that there is the promise of recovery workers to help with some of the workload we would like to see the (currently vacant) permanent positions filled. This will ensure the park has a stable and strong management team to see it through the next several years of recovery work, without compromising the work needed to be done to protect the natural values of the park.
Letter to Premier in April
Dear Premier,
Friends of the Grampians Gariewerd, request that you visit the Grampians National Park as a matter of urgency.
We can only believe that you have not been properly informed of the catastrophic damage done to the Grampians during the January floods, or you would not have ignored it for three months while responding almost immediately to a similar event at Wilsons Promontory.
We appreciate that you have only recently become Premier, but are concerned that you appear to be making very arbitrary and inequitable decisions with regards to natural disaster affects on National Parks.
Your visit will require you to see the Park from the air as so little of the park is now accessible by road. After three months Vic Roads still appears to have no timetable for when its roads will be reopened. The effect on those who love the park let alone the many and varied tourist operators around the park is absolutely devastating.
Please acquaint yourself as soon as possible with the situation here so that a gross inequity can quickly be rectified.