Local MP

FORMER City of Berwick councillor and mayor Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos will chair the allparty eightmember Environment and Natural Resources Committee (ENRC) to investigate bushfires in Victoria.
Committee member Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato said the committee would examine the impact of public land management practices on the frequency, scale and intensity of bushfires in Victoria.
She said bushfires had left their mark on more than one million hectares this season with 50 properties lost.
“The cost of the latest firefighting season is expected to exceed $180 million,” she said.
“The fires have also had a devastating human cost and cost on the environment.
“Wildlife experts are particularly concerned about three of Victoria’s most rare animals, the longfooted potoroo, mountain pygmy possum, and spotted tree frog.”
Ms Lobato said she was pleased to be appointed to the ENRC and that the committee’s investigations would assist in assessing the cost of bushfires on both people and the environment.
“As we come to the end of particularly long and hot summer that has seen large tracts of Victoria affected by fire as well as drought, it is vital that we ensure land management practices are at an optimum to reduce the devastation caused by bushfires,” she said.
The committee has invited submissions on the terms of reference by 25 May.