‘Bureaucratic bungle’: Victorian council suggests a 30cm limit on grass
A regional Victorian council has promised to take a “commonsense” approach to proposed local laws that would allow council officers to enforce the height of grass and on private property and demand that “unsightly” materials such as scrap metal and old cars be stowed away, after receiving pushback from farmers.
The South Gippsland shire released an update to the general local law for public consultation this month, which suggests a 30cm limit on grass height in an attempt to increase amenity in the region and reduce fire risk.
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In its current form, the draft laws appear to be able to limit how high fodder and forage crops could grow in paddocks.
One councillor, beef and sheep farmer Scott Rae, told a council meeting last week he was “fully encouraging” farmers to make their concerns known.
“I am torn between the need for local laws and the potential that there might be a lack of understanding of the agricultural community that we live in,” Rae said.
Victorian Farmers Federation president and south Gippsland farmer Emma Germano said she believed the proposal was a “bureaucratic bungle”.
“It’s a shame that they have made a mistake here and caused alarm in the community,” she said. “I’m quite certain that when it comes to council actually making any decisions, that they’re not going to stop all of the farmers from making hay and silage.
“I don’t think that this was intended to meddle. I think it was just an error.”
Mayor Nathan Hersey said limiting the height of fodder crops and forage grasses was “never the intention” of the bylaw.
“It’s a good lesson in making sure the wording is correct,” Hersey said. “It’s clear the wording needed to be cleared up for the general public to understand, and so we can meet their expectation – that’s a message that’s been received loud and clear.”
A highland cattle breeder, Hersey said he was moving hay well over the 30cm limit and said the consultation had been extended by a week to 9 November, after the first wave of complaints.
“It’s not a case of we’ve made these decisions and now you just have to put up with it,” he said. “It’s actually something that’s the all councils have to go through.”
The 30cm rule has been rolled out in the neighbouring Bass Coast shire council. La Trobe council has introduced a 50cm height for grass and weeds.
Country Fire Authority chief officer, Jason Heffernan, welcomed the proposal, saying Gippsland is facing an increased grass-fire risk into the summer.
“The CFA is encouraged to see municipal councils taking a proactive approach to fire safety and is keen to understand the full details of the South Gippsland shire’s proposal,” he said.
“Fire safety is a shared responsibility and CFA will continue to work with councils across Victoria on fire preparedness.”
The proposed update to local laws includes penalising property owners for disused excavation sites – such as a half-finished dam – as well as for unfinished renovations and failing to correctly store “unsightly” materials such as scrap metal, machinery and boats. Hersey said a commonsense approach would be taken to rebuild trust with the community.
“A lot of that unsightly stuff is going to be in the eye of the beholder – my farm might not look beautiful, but I love it,” he said. “Officers are always going to be able to use discretion with any local law.
“Common sense is one of the things we thrive on in regional Victoria, and I’d say we have an abundance of common sense here. We’ll just come up with an approach to the local laws that work and meet the expectations of the community.”
Promises of common sense were welcomed by Rae during the council meeting, but not without a warning. “An up-and-coming young politician recently said to me: ‘No one enacts legislation without the intent to enforce it,’” he told councillors.
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