Unconfirmed Minutes Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 9:00 AM
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Unconfirmed
Minutes
Council Meeting
Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 9:00 AM
Council Chambers (and by video conferencing)
East Gippsland Shire Council Corporate Centre
273 Main Street, Bairnsdale 3875
Councillors Crs Mendy Urie (Mayor), Arthur Allen, Sonia Buckley, Tom Crook,
Jane Greacen OAM, Trevor Stow, Kirsten Van Diggele and John
White
Vision East Gippsland is the most liveable region in Australia. A place of natural beauty, enviable lifestyles, and opportunities. Our Mission A leading local government that works together with our communities to make East Gippsland the most liveable region in Australia. Our Values Accountability We will take responsibility for our actions and decisions in an open and transparent way. Inclusion We will be accessible and active in engaging with our community. We will invite, listen to and seek to understand the views of others, and proactively share information about Council’s plans, projects, services and activities. Integrity We will honour our commitments and conduct ourselves in an honest, ethical way. Respect We will value, support and help to develop our diverse community. We will respect the views and contributions of others and act with courtesy and consideration in all our interactions. Resourcefulness We will turn the challenges faced by our community into opportunities by being flexible and innovative in our response. We will actively seek better and more cost-effective ways to achieve the best outcomes for East Gippsland East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 2 of 7 Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021
Index
1 Procedural ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 Recognition of Traditional Custodians ........................................................................ 4
1.2 Purpose of Meeting .................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Apologies ................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Declaration of Conflict of Interest ............................................................................... 4
1.5 Next meeting .............................................................................................................. 5
1.6 Open Forum ............................................................................................................... 5
1.6.1 Petitions ............................................................................................................. 5
1.6.2 Questions of Council .......................................................................................... 5
1.6.3 Public Submissions ............................................................................................ 5
2 Notices of Motion ............................................................................................................. 6
2.1 Notice to alter No. 3/2021 - Amend Council resolution on Draft Feral Horses Action
Plan............................................................................................................................ 6
3 Close of Meeting .............................................................................................................. 7
East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 3 of 7
Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 20211 Procedural 1.1 Recognition of Traditional Custodians Welcome to East Gippsland Shire Council’s unscheduled meeting of 18 May 2021. East Gippsland Shire Council live streams, records and publishes its meetings via webcasting (youtube.com/c/East Gippy TV) to enhance the accessibility of its meetings to the broader East Gippsland community. These recordings are also archived and available for viewing by the public or used for publicity or information purposes. At the appropriate times during the meeting, any members of the gallery who are addressing the council will have their image, comments or submissions recorded. No other person has the right to record Council meetings unless approval has been granted by the Chair. The Victorian Government has amended the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Act 2020 that enables Council meetings to be conducted by electronic means (videoconferencing) until 26 April 2022. The Minister for Local Government re-issued the Ministerial Good Practice Guideline for Virtual Meetings on 20 October 2020 outlining the provisions relating to the Local Government Act 2020 allow Councillors to attend Council meetings electronically, and the requirement where Council meetings are open to the public will be satisfied where the meeting is livestreamed. The amendments do not preclude Councillors from attending a meeting in person in the Council chambers. Members of the public are invited to view the Council Meeting livestreamed by following the link on Council’s website or Facebook page. East Gippsland Shire Council acknowledges the Gunaikurnai, Monero and the Bidawel people as the Traditional Custodians of the land that encompasses East Gippsland Shire. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in East Gippsland, their Elders past and present. 1.2 Purpose of Meeting In accordance with Rule 3.3 of East Gippsland Shire Council Governance Rules, Councillors Allen, Buckley and White requested an unscheduled Council meeting to consider the motion to alter the Council resolution of Tuesday 4 May 2021 regarding item 6 feral horse management proposed by Councillors Crook, Greacen OAM and Reeves. The Chief Executive Officer as required under Rule 3.3 of East Gippsland Shire Council Governance Rules, gives notice of the unscheduled Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 9.00 am. 1.3 Apologies Cr Mark Reeves 1.4 Declaration of Conflict of Interest Nil East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 4 of 7 Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021
1.5 Next meeting The next Council Meeting of 25 May 2021 to be held at the Council Chamber, 273 Main Street, Bairnsdale commencing at 6.00pm. 1.6 Open Forum 1.6.1 Petitions Nil 1.6.2 Questions of Council Nil 1.6.3 Public Submissions 1.6.3.1 Control of Feral Horses Mr Philip Ingamells, Victorian National Parks Association, submitted a letter to Councillors and was tabled at the meeting. A copy is provided at Attachment 1. 1.6.3.2 Brumby Management Ms Judith Medway submitted a letter to Councillors and was tabled at the meeting. A copy is provided at Attachment 2. East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 5 of 7 Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021
2 Notices of Motion
2.1 Notice to alter No. 3/2021 - Amend Council resolution on Draft Feral Horses Action Plan
2.1 Notice to alter No. 3/2021 - Amend Council resolution on Draft
Feral Horses Action Plan
Take notice that it is our intention to move at the meeting of Council to be held on Tuesday 18
May 2021 at 9.00 am or at any adjournment of that meeting:
That Council considers an amendment to the following resolution adopted at the Council
meeting on Tuesday 4 May 2021:
That Council writes to the Honourable Lily D’Ambrosio Minister for Energy, Environment and
Climate Change to:
1. express Council’s objection to helicopter shooting and ground shooting of wild horses in
East Gippsland and request a meeting to discuss the draft feral horse action plan and the
long-term management and extraction of wild horses from National Parks in East
Gippsland, and
2. request that the Draft Feral Horse Action Plan 2021 be put on hold until the matter is
discussed and rectified.
The proposed amendment to the resolution is:
That Council writes to the Honourable Lily D’Ambrosio Minister of Energy, Environment
and Climate Change to:
1. request a meeting to discuss the draft feral horse action plan and long-term
management and extraction of wild horses from National Parks in East Gippsland,
and
2. request that the Draft Feral Horse Action Plan 2021 be put on hold until the matter
is discussed with stakeholders.
Signed: Cr Greacen OAM, Cr Mark Reeves (Deputy Mayor) and Cr Tom Crook
Date: 5 May 2021
Cr Jane Greacen OAM / Cr Tom Crook
THAT THE RECOMMENDATION BE ADOPTED
LOST
Procedural note
Cr Tom Crook requested a division under section 8.3 of East Gippsland Shire Council
Governance Rules.
For: Cr Tom Crook, Cr Jane Greacen OAM, Cr Mendy Urie
Against: Cr Arthur Allen, Cr Sonia Buckley, Cr Trevor Stow, Cr Kirsten Van Diggele,
Cr John White
East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 6 of 7
Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021Rationale
The resolution that was adopted on 4 May 2021 was presented as urgent. The altered
motion is required to allow Councillors the time and opportunity to consider the many issues
that are integral to this complex conundrum. Management of feral horses in the high country
is an ongoing and long-term issue, which has not been solved by the programs put in place
to date. Councillors need adequate notice in order to consider informed evidence and
supporting documentation prepared by Council Officers, and time to read the State
Government’s feral horse management plan. A united approach by Councillors to a
stakeholder meeting with the responsible department could have an outcome that has more
universal acceptance by the East Gippsland community.
3 Close of Meeting
Cr Mendy Urie declared the Council Meeting closed at 9.37 am.
Confirmed
Cr Mendy Urie Mayor
25 May 2021
East Gippsland Shire Council - Minutes 7 of 7
Unscheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday 18 May 2021Attachment 1
Level 3, 60 Leicester St
Carlton Victoria 3053
Phone 03 9347 5188
Fax 03 9347 5199
vnpa@vnpa.org.au
www.vnpa.org.au
ABN 34 217 717 593
East Gippsland Shire Council
PO Box 1618
Bairnsdale, Vic 3875
11/5/2012
Re Control of feral horses
Dear Mayor Mendy Urie, Deputy Mayor Mark Reeves and fellow councillors,
It has been brought to the attention of the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) that
the Council has asked for a meeting with the Minister for the Environment, Hon Lily
D’Ambrosio, over the manner of control of feral horses in the Alpine National Park.
While we are not sure what matters might have been brought to the attention of the
Council, we feel that some issues that are commonly raised might benefit from clarification.
First, it should be noted that Parks Victoria is legally obliged, under Victoria’s National Parks
Act 1975, to “exterminate or control exotic fauna in the park”. That legal imperative is also
expressed in specific elements of Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, the Federal
Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and a long-
standing international treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Unfortunately some public misconceptions have encouraged concerns about how and why
this action is necessary. Among them:
1/ Has there been adequate consultation?
Few park management issues have involved such extensive consultation. Between 2010 and
the present day there have been a large number of consultation processes including
representative stakeholder roundtables, expert consultation (animal welfare authorities,
ecologists, animal behaviour experts etc.) as well as a number of broad public consultation
opportunities.
2/ What is the evidence that horses damage the park?
The evidence of damage brought to alpine ecosystems and a range of threatened species by
all hard- hooved grazers, including horses, is based on an abundance of scientific studies.
That evidence was overwhelmingly accepted by the Federal Court in May 2020.
3/ Why use aerial and ground shooting against horses?
In our understanding the advice from the RSPCA and other animal welfare experts is that
quickly euthenasing animals on site is far preferable to chasing and roping a “wild” animal,
then transporting it long distances before eventually surrendering it to an abattoir. Of
course rehoming is the first option, but long experience has shown that those opportunities
are quite limited. Unfortunately, long-standing opposition to the culling of horses has only
led to increasing numbers, which invariably means more animals have to be culled.
4/ Aren’t culled horses just food for wild dogs?
All horses in the high country eventually die there, and are already providing food for a
1range of animals. As the horse population increases, that situation also increases. It is
generally accepted that a large ‘pulse’ in available food is unlikely to significantly increase
wild dog populations. The best option is a greatly reduced horse population in the park.
These and other issues (including photographs of horse damage) are expanded on in an FAQ
page on the VNPA website at: https://vnpa.org.au/feral-horses-in-national-parks/
A similar FAQ page on the Parks Victoria website unambiguously outlines Parks Victoria’s
planned actions, and the reasons for them:
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/get-into-nature/conservation-and-science/conserving-our-
parks/feral-animals/feral-horses/feral-horse-faqs
We strongly recommend that you refer to these pages, and hope that the Council can
reconsider its plea to the Minister. Neither the park nor the horses will benefit, in the long
run, from further delays in responsible management.
We would appreciate it if this letter could be tabled at the next meeting of the Council.
If you have any questions, please contact me at philipi@vnpa.org.au .
With respect,
Phil Ingamells
Park Protection
Victorian National Parks Association
2Attachment 2 Judith Medway Council Meeting 18th May 2021 Brumby Management 1 Dear Councillors and Whom It May Concern Re: Council Meeting 18th May 2021. Agenda Brumby Management Cr Mendy Urie, Cr Mark Reeves, Cr Tom Crook, Cr Jane Greacen, Cr Arthur Allen, Cr Sonia Buckley, Cr Trevor Stow, John White, Kirsten Van Diggele. And Executive Leadership Team Anthony Basford Chief Executive Officer Fiona Weigall General Manager Assets and Environment Peter Cannizzaro General Manager Business Excellence Stuart McConnell General Manager Bushfire Recovery Jodie Pitkin General Manager Place and Community Firstly I am appreciative of the councillors that bought forward the motion to council and who have voted against the cruel and inhumane shooting of our Victorian Heritage Brumbies. My Australian ancestry goes back to the early Colonial days of settlement in Australia. I consider my Colonial history to be a significant part of who I am today. Some of my family have strong ties to the land, farming, agriculture and building and as such the Australian brumby played a significant part of their ability to survive and earn a living from the land throughout the generations. My mother had a brumby that she rode to her country school daily. My great uncles fought in both World Wars, one also died in France at the age of 17, my uncle fought in WWII and Vietnam. The brumbies played a significant part in supporting our soldiers in war, in industry, farming, transportation and recreation. I am ashamed of politicians who are so far removed from humane thought, feeling and action to consider such inhumane treatment as shooting brumbies or permitting them to be slaughtered as a solution to their displacement in National Parks. The government shows a lack of duty of care towards our Colonial, heritage brumbies and fail to recognise that our brumbies have some of the purest DNA strains globally of wild horses and this should be preserved. Our brumbies have been significantly reduced in numbers through the bush fires of recent years and this has culled the herds to the point there is no need of further culling. The local communities of Victoria, Australians and internationals support and follow our brumbies expressing their love, appreciation and worry in signing numerous petitions to stop the bullet and killing of brumbies, donating to brumby rescues, sanctuaries and rehomes. Our brumbies are a National treasure and Aussie icon that have earned their right to life. They have been put into creation by a higher power, that is not a mistake and no person has the right to decide who should live or die. I noticed the lack of justice, fair and humane treatment brumbies were receiving through government action and have been an advocate for their right to life for a number of years now. Brumbies are herd animals that are loyal, family groups. They are sentinel beings. Animals have been acknowledged by governments to be sentinel, feeling beings globally in many countries such as New Zealand, France, and England. It is time Australia also made this legislation and acknowledgement giving our brumbies the respect, honour and duty of care they deserve. I am writing to express how very disappointed and concerned I am about the proposal by the Daniel Andrew's Government in conjunction with Parks Victoria (Vic) to ground and aerial shoot Brumbies in three (3) key areas in Victoria. Many Australians and global citizens strongly oppose the cruel and inhumane method of control that involves ground and aerial shooting, slaughter and killing of our Australian brumbies. In the 2000 massacre of 226 Brumbies in the Guy Fawkes National Park, many Brumbies were found days and weeks later wounded and slowly dying after being cruelty shot from helicopters
Judith Medway Council Meeting 18th May 2021 Brumby Management 2 resulting in introducing a ban on aerial shooting of Brumbies in NSW. I ask you to cease aerial and ground shooting of brumbies. The Andrew's government has claimed incorrectly that brumbies have negatively impacted native vegetation but this has been proven wrong with the flourishing grasses and regeneration of native vegetation in the Victorian National Parks. Interestingly internationally wild horses as herbivores have been introduced into native environments to specifically improve the native habitat and this has been proven successful. The brumby organisations that support our brumbies in every region throughout Australia work tirelessly to keep these Australian icons alive and healthy. They rehome, feed, provide sanctuaries and so on, an action that could easily be supported by government to provide a win win solution to the brumby debate. We must see the legislation of no shooting, knackeries or slaughter for brumbies brought into Victoria. Many of us have put forward other more humane options for better management and for sustainable numbers of wild Brumbies to remain in our Parks and to be humanely managed in conjunction with Parks Vic and the government under the guide of community stake holder boards. Politicians in city environments do not have the connection to the land and animals and have shown by past actions to be inhumane and callous in their decisions towards many wild and native animals. The Victorian Alpine is one of the key target areas for intended shooting of brumbies therefore I ask that the East Gippsland Council intervene in this inhumane Labor government action and vote to have this action put on hold until further consultation between government, community and stakeholders can be entered into. I ask that you seriously consider putting this proposal forward to whom it may concern to provide the duty of care towards our beautiful Australian brumbies, the descendants of our unique native Colonial horses for present and future generations. Sincere Regards Judith Medway judymedway@yahoo.com.au 0429031051
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