Two coupes that had already been started were allowed to continue. This was in no way contradictory to the election policy and would have amounted to a theft from the mills that had already contracted for the timber.

Hmmn. You are saying – “its protected but we logged it anyway”. This is clearly inconsistent.

Glad that you admit my figure was correct though.

About 7% of the Forest Alliance proposal was delivered. Hardly a good outcome for the forests – clearly the loggers & woodchippers hold sway with Government policy. They confirmed this by endorsing the outcome.

it’s a bit more complicated than you seem to think.

I don’t pretend to understand the labyrinthine backroom deals Labor cuts with NAFI, VAFI, the CFMEU and the foreign owned export woodchip companies. So much for “government transparency”.

They all need to be surveyed to begin with.

Another furphy. They have been surveyed many times. Check out the DSE Forest Explorer. All the data you could possible need is there. Google maps shows some interesting shots of logged forests too.

Fire is managed in a tenure blind manner

You are correct on this one, its blind indeed. Burning wet forests converts them to dry ones, and burning every year accelerates this process.

bushfires being the only threat to old growth that there is – since, apart from the impact of fire, the area of old growth in Victoria is increasing.

The threat to old growth forest is clear felling, mainly for woodchips, not fire. Where are your figures for “old growth increasing”? This is ludicrous, with continued logging it is quite clearly DECREASING.

If you want to see how sketchy the new reserves and link (still not proclaimed) are, and see some photos of unprotected old growth, read this report [link].

On tranport activities – show me any evidence of any plans for any new train lines in Melbourne. And its going to take 6 months to buy some new trains that should have been bought a year ago.

Contrast this with $4b on EastLink in progress, and a figure floated of $8b for the East West Tunnel link we don’t even need.

Nobody’s quite sure why the areas are worth protection – that’s a matter you’d have to ask EEG and the like – no one’s saying this is a rational decision.

Of course it’s not “protected” until it’s inside the National Parks Act, but your criteria is entirely unreasonable. If you wanted the areas all to be inside a National Park by now you have never been near how these things work – it’s a bit more complicated than you seem to think. They all need to be surveyed to begin with.

The Great Alpine NP (Snowy link) will be delivered with the other parts of the policy.

Fire is managed in a tenure blind manner – it is just as likely to be burned in the future when it’s a national park as it was last autumn as State forest. Of course you’ll criticise DSE if it goes up in a bushfire – bushfires being the only threat to old growth that there is – since, apart from the impact of fire, the area of old growth in Victoria is increasing.

You’re being mischievous with the transport activities too.

· $1.4 billion for new bus services, creating a cross-town transport network for Melbourne and more frequent and late night services;
· $2.9 billion to substantially boost rail capacity and pave the way for future extensions, including funding for new rail lines, more trains and drivers, and extra peak, shoulder peak, and late night services;
· $338.6 million for three new outer suburban train stations, 5000 new park and ride spaces, upgrades to seven suburban stations, and intermodal interchanges;
· $750 million for rail safety, including the replacement of ageing communications and technology systems;
· $510 million for new and improved public transport in Provincial Victoria;
· $577 million for new trams, extended services, and programs to give trams priority on the road network;
· $420 million to make transport more accessible and easier to use, including free travel for seniors on Sundays, a major boost for bike paths, reform of the taxi industry, extension of the TravelSmart program, and major investment in improving access for people with disabilities; and
· $42.2 million towards land reservations for future transport links.

Alternate . pdf which adds up to 41 000 hectares, none of which have been logged since the election, or will ever be.

Actually, 3 coops that are part of the proposed new East Gippsland “old growth” reserves HAVE been logged since the election. They were coops that logging had commenced in or was about to. But if they were worth protecting, why were they logged?

Also, I say again, NONE of the “new protected areas” have been actually been proclaimed as protected yet and the logging/woodchipping industry is lobbying the Government & DSE furiously to get the area reduced. It aint protected until its protected.

Also, check out the rhetoric about “linking the Snowy & Errinundra National Parks” – this has not been delivered in any effective way. The local DSE chap was all ready to burn the Jungle Creek forest area (including cool temperate rainforest & old growth) near Goongerah in Autumn, but hopefully the rain stopped him.

On Eastlink, the tender was $2.5b. The total cost to build to the State will be 4b+. The government only allocated a paltry $61.8 million in the 2006-07 State budget for funding rail services on existing tracks out of total expenditure of 2.6 billion for transport related infrastructure. No wonder we have a system operating at over capacity, serious delays in getting new trains and no plans for any new tracks (unlike Perth). Melbourne will only get some more ballast, hopefully a few of the 50+ year old red gum sleepers replaced, and a few stations painted.

Train travel has 1/8th the carbon emissions of car travel, and Australia runs out of oil in about 10 years, yet all we can do in Melbourne is build more freeways. Eastlink will make a very good 6 lane bike path.

Moran and Bracks had worked together in TAFE administration years ago.

Moran was always an admirer of what Jeff had done in Victoria.

Best wishes, Steve.

I think tollroads assist the development of public transport, they make people keener to see an effective alternative.

Not that I support PPPs, but that’s a different issue.

I for one don’t regard the upper-house changes as reforms. We’re yet to see the worst of these changes because the ALP had a comfortable majority in both houses. Anything that leaves the balance of power in the hands of people even stupider than Kerry Nettle is a bad thing.

If not for the Liberals’ incompetence, we might have been spared that, but they probably would have weaseled Eastlink onto us just the same if they’d returned.

Mismanagement of water resources will be Bracks’ greatest legacy.

As others have noted, in 1999 the electorate was all reformed out. What they wanted was conservative government, and as TonyT says he exceeded our expectations. They also wanted a respite from the massive, bluff ego of Jeff, and Hymie was the perfect antidote.