Roadside grass slashing on Hume Freeway puts fire risk down, but weeds risk up

In a submission to the Victorian government’s inquiry into VicRoads’ management of country roads, PAW community ranger Ant Packer said she had previously been happy with the “minimal maintenance work” along the freeway.

Now she is worried about the spread of weeds.

“In recent years, VicRoads has responded to pressure to manage fuel loads by slashing the entire roadside corridor, rather than just sections of this key corridor,” she said.

“This recent shift in approach by VicRoads to fuel management poses significant risks in spreading new and emerging weeds, eg Chilean needle grass, by contractors undertaking the slashing work. The slashing also adversely impacts on native vegetation and habitat for threatened species, as fallen logs and leaf litter are cleared.”

VicRoads has stated its roadside slashing is important to prevent serious fires.

Ms Packer also said community groups had been funding weed control and environmental burns on roadsides for the past two decades because of a lack of VicRoads funding.

She asked for an annual budget to fund maintenance of roadsides, plus traffic management.

“PAW has had limited interaction with VicRoads over the years. Requests are either dismissed or take years to be responded to,” she said. 

The comments will be considered by the Law Reform, Road and Community Safety Committee.

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