Growing Opposition to National Parks in Victoria
Gold prospectors, 4WD enthusiasts, shooters, horse riders and other bush users' groups, backed by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), have united in a growing campaign against national parks.
In Victoria, organisers have launched the largest parliament petition in the state's history, surpassing the significant 1891 petition that favoured women's suffrage, to oppose the protection of state forests as national parks.
Members of the no-new-parks camp have encouraged supporters to raise Australian flags in their front gardens to "show our love of this country," called for a withdrawal from the United Nations, and accused "greenies" of attempting to "lock up" the bush, supported by groups such as the Freedom Party of Australia and the ETU.
On the other hand, conservationists are concerned about the diminishing chances of establishing new national parks to replace former native timber logging sites in Victoria.
