By Danielle Galvin
AN URGENT petition is calling on Melbourne Water to clear swamp drains or face the collapse of the multi-million dollar asparagus industry.
The Australian Asparagus Council sent out the petition last week to newsagents from Longwarry to Tooradin and across Kooweerup and Lang Lang.
Con Raffa’s family has been farming in Kooweerup for more than 60 years. He is a past president of the Australian Asparagus Council and a committee member who says it’s all about “manpower.”
“As landholders, we pay special rates but despite this, many of the drains need urgent attention,” he said.
“This is why we’re calling on townspeople and landholders to sign the petition.”
In February, Cora Lynn was hit hard by a heavy deluge and in June, Bayles and Kooweerup experienced the worst flooding that most residents had ever seen.
Last year, the story was much the same across the swamp.
Mr Raffa said it was time for farmers to be pro-active about getting the drains cleared and he urged Melbourne Water to listen to their concerns.
“They can’t just do what the like – lives shouldn’t be lost before they act,” he said.
“This is about livelihoods and they have a duty of care – I don’t understand why they don’t seem to be concerned.
“We need some help to get them to understand.”
In the petition, the president of the Australian Asparagus Council and local farmer Joe Vizzarri said the flooding caused anguish to farmers who were in danger of losing their livelihoods.
He said the local community was also under threat from the increasing frequency and severity of the flooding.
“Flood protection for the district is totally dependent on regular maintenance of the more than 450 kilometres of constructed drains so that flood flows are safely conveyed to Westernport Bay without causing damage to land or other assets,” Mr Vizzarri said.
He encouraged residents and farmers to sign the petition and give the swamp community a voice in parliament.
“The extensive network of constructed drains in the district are a legacy of the hard work and foresight of past generations, and are an absolutely essential component of the continued safety and prosperity of the district,” Mr Vizzarri said.
Melbourne Water south east region waterways manager, Rod Clifford, said the water authority was aware of the community’s concerns and had a long history of working with residents to address their issues.
“We have an ongoing maintenance works program, investing more than $1 million a year to manage the broader drainage issues, however there is only so much that can be done given the location and its susceptibility to flooding,” he said.
“Parts of the Kooweerup–Longwarry area are home to animals and vegetation that are listed federally as having high environmental significance and by virtue of that there are a range of approvals required for working in these areas, including clearing drains.”
But junior vice-president from the asparagus group Alex Motta said action needed to be taken on the drains.
“The petition is going to be sent to (State) Parliament and we are after as many signatures as we can get,” he said.
Mr Motta said in the past, farmers managed to clear the water off the properties by relying on the drains as well as their own drainage systems.
“The problem at the end of the day is that we are being inundated – fields are underwater for days at a time and we can’t accept what (Melbourne Water) is telling us,” he said.
“They always say it’s an over the top rain event but we’re talking about fields that have never been inundated for this long before.
“Last time, it took the best part of a week for the water to drain off properties and the reason behind that isn’t being explored.”
Member for Bass Ken Smith MP also weighed into the debate and said he had been approached by asparagus farmers affected by the recent flooding.
“Recent flooding has had a drastic effect on crops and we are looking at what the long-term effect will be and what effect it has on this year’s crop,” he said.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to be working with these farmers as our asparagus industry is very important to us and the Australian export market.”
