National award for volunteers

By Lachlan Ellis

Victoria’s four Community Pest Management Groups (CPMGs) have been chosen to receive the Australian Biosecurity Award (ABA) in Canberra recently.

The ABAs recognise individuals, groups and organisations that have shown commitment to supporting and promoting Australian biosecurity and the systems that underpin it.

The CPMGs were nominated by Agriculture Victoria to receive an award under the community category for their role in the ‘Weeds and Rabbits Project’.

The CPMGs include the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce, the Victorian Gorse Taskforce, Victorian Rabbit Action Network, and Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party (VSTWP) who formed part of the Delivery Leadership Group, the project steering committee for the Weeds and Rabbit Project.

CPMGs consist of volunteer community representatives, and contractors, who provide education, engagement and extension services to landowners affected by invasive species.

Lance Jennison from Bacchus Marsh is the Chair of the VSTWP, and said it was an honour for the group to be recognised for its work with an ABA.

“I suppose in a nutshell, it’s something we’ll build on. We’ll be able to work with other groups, I suppose it’s a bit of a pat on the back for the members. They put in a lot of time and effort in the background,” Mr Jennison told the Moorabool News.

“I’m still wrapping my head around getting it, we didn’t know Agriculture Victoria were nominating us last year. But it’s a privilege for the group. Moving forward I see greater opportunities at field days and ag shows for example.

Mr Jennison said their main role is education.

“Serrated tussock looks a lot like native grasses like kangaroo or wallaby type grasses. But serrated tussock is an introduced species from Argentina, and spreads quite badly.”

Invasive species cause substantial amounts of economic and environmental damage across Australia, with an annual economic cost alone at $24.5 billion per year. The four CPMGs demonstrated that they have the skills and solutions to tackle complex problems like weeds and rabbits.

The project attracted $4.3 million and was a collaborative partnership between Agriculture Victoria and the CPMGs. The project was a biosecurity initiative aimed at improving the way established pest animals and weeds are managed in Victoria. The collaborative project model placed community at the table to guide investment decision making, critical for supporting community-led action on weeds and rabbits.