November 7, 2010
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says sections of the Lakes Entrance foreshore and Bullock Island are a disgrace, after working with a team of volunteers to remove 30 large bags of rubbish on Sunday.
Mr Chester and a small team of volunteers, including Candidate for Gippsland East Tim Bull, targeted areas east of the footbridge and around the sand blasting jetty at Bullock Island.
“The amount of rubbish we collected was staggering and it’s a disgrace that such a build up has been allowed to develop,” Mr Chester said.
“There was everything from plastic bags, bottles and cans to pieces of fishing nets and household items.
“We will definitely organise some more clean up days to get on top of the problem and I welcome suggestions from local residents on areas that need to be targeted.”
Mr Chester said the build up of rubbish on Bullock Island highlighted a policy failure by the State Government.
“This is a prime piece of public land that has been allowed to be treated like a rubbish tip while the government can’t make up its mind on how it should be used,” he said.
“In my view, Bullock Island is one of the great public assets in Lakes Entrance and it should be properly landscaped and developed as a public park with decent facilities for locals and visitors to enjoy.
“Various stakeholders have uses for some sections of the island but the majority of the land should be set aside for public purposes and presented in a way which reflects the magnificent setting on the shores of the Gippsland Lakes.”
Mr Chester has thanked local volunteers for supporting the clean up effort.
“Esso Australia donated gloves for the day while Tambo Waste provided bins, Unimin provided clean-up bags and Skipper Pete was a great contributor – ferrying people and rubbish back and forth across Cunninghame Arm,” he said.
“It was a good effort but we will need to do more action days to get on top of the problem across our region and I’m looking forward to working with Tim Bull to make that happen.”