Rail Trail row

By Melissa Donchi
LILLYDALE to Warburton Rail trail volunteers are claiming foul play after they say they were sacked by the State Government.
They say the Shire of Yarra Ranges has gone behind their backs with a plan to take over the management of the rail trail.
They say a letter from the previous Planning Minister Rob Hulls in response to a council request to take over the management of the rail trail, without any consultation with them, means they have been sacked.
The letter, written on 27 October 2006, stated that while Mr Hulls was aware of the committee’s ‘hard work and commitment’ he had been considering an approach from the shire to become the appointed committee of management.
The letter said: “I am advised that the shire manages and maintains other trails within the municipality and a coordinated approach to the management of such trails within the Shire has potential benefits.”
Mr Hulls then reappointed the committee until 31 March 2007 and said he would wait until the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) met with the shire so he could “gain a better understanding of the shire’s vision for the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.”
While DSE claims the committee was not ‘sacked’, just ‘advised’ of the shire’s intentions, members of the committee say they were not invited to reapply for their positions.
“As a committee of doers who work tirelessly to make this trail a joy for users, we are stunned and extremely disappointed at both our local council and the Minister for failing to even talk to us about their plans,” Rail Trail President David de Gama said.
But in his October letter Mr Hulls insisted that the shire was better equipped for the job.
“Municipal councils are better resourced in many instances to undertake the role of committees of management around the state,” Mr Hulls wrote.
Last Friday DSE Port Phillip’s Group Manager Public Lands Wayne Malone met with Yarra Ranges Shire staff to discuss future management of the trail, including concerns raised by existing committee members and the smooth transition of key rail trail projects.
CEO of the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Rob Hauser told the Mail that DSE had asked the council to make a submission by the end of February.
The committee said the shire approached the DSE before July last year and that six months of negotiations have taken place without the committee being aware of what was happening.
Secretary of the committee Liz Tunnecliffe says a letter dated 28 July 2006 from Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato to Mr Hulls related to the shire’s intentions to take over management of the trail.
But Mr Hauser said the shire only approached DSE when it learned the committee had been reappointed for four months until 31 March.
When pressed for the exact date Mr Hauser could not say as he didn’t have his facts in front of him.
The committee is appointed every three years which is why members were shocked when they were reappointed for a ‘caretaker’ period of just four months.
“We don’t want to contest any decision being made,” Ms Tunnecliffe said,” but we do want to ensure we’re passing the trail over into the right hands.”
Ms Tunnecliffe described the shire’s lack of consultation as conflicting with the shire’s 2020 vision which is about engaging with the community.
“It would have been so easy just to consult with us and get our approval.
“There was just no need to lock us out as they did.”
Mr Hauser said a busy Christmas and new year period was the shire’s reason for not consulting with the committee and said they would be happy to meet with them at any time.
“It’s a slap in the face,” Ms Tunnecliffe said.
“The fact is we were given four months without any consultation and no offer to reapply.”