Potato grower Frank Rover, Greg Hunt MP and his son James, asparagus farmer Frank Butera and president of the Australian Asparagus Council Joe Vizzarri – one of the biggest asparagus growers in the district.By Danielle Galvin
SWAMP farmers are gathering support in their fight to get the carrier and main drains cleared.
On Saturday, Flinders MP Greg Hunt met with a group of local asparagus and potato farmers to do a tour of the drains in the swamp.
In the group was Frank Butera, a Bayles asparagus farmer who has been active in the fight to clear the drains.
In early July, the Australian Asparagus Council authorised an urgent petition calling on Melbourne Water to clear swamp drains following the heavy deluge in Kooweerup and Bayles in June. Other areas in the swamp were badly affected by the flooding, including Catani and Lang Lang.
So far, Mr Butera has collected nearly 500 signatures for the petition to be presented to State Parliament and he said it was a successful meeting with Mr Hunt on Saturday.
“I showed him the petition with the 473 signatures,” he said.
“This is the first time I’ve met him and things are starting to move – he’s been pushing the issue.
“I’m not going to stop until the drains are cleared.”
Mr Butera said landholders visited him personally to sign the petition.
“People are very concerned… and they ought to be,” he said.
Mr Hunt planned to visit the asparagus and potato farmers again soon.
“Every local resident I have met is deeply concerned about the ongoing issue of flooding,” Mr Hunt said.
“For farmers, it’s not only their homes but their livelihoods on the line.
“The area around Kooweerup has some of the most productive land in Victoria… our asparagus and potatoes are the best around.”
Mr Hunt said it was important to protect the rich agricultural industry in the swamp.
“This industry is a major contributor to the local economy and repeated flooding, such as we’ve had recently, threatens its viability,” he said.
“We need to do our utmost to ensure that our farmers get all the help and support they need to tackle this problem.”
Mr Butera said he had met with Melbourne Water on Tuesday morning and said the meeting went well.
In previous weeks, Melbourne Water Manager Waterways South East Region Rod Clifford said that the water authority met regularly with the flood advisory group and community groups.
“We are acutely aware of community’s flooding concerns, and we have a long history of working with local residents to address these issues as best we can,” he said.
“We are working with the state government to develop a vegetation management plan that balances the environmental values of the area with flooding and drainage issues.”
