News

Back in February we saw poorly briefed contractors do serious damage to the most important Button Wrinklewort population in Australia at Truganina Cemetery (Conservation Area 10). Last year it was fencing contractors almost trashing hundreds of Spiny...

First it was complete disregard for environmental values. Now it’s disregard for human health as well. The EPA has placed signs up around Conservation Area 9 warning people not to enter, such is the level of asbestos contamination at Conservation Area 9. The City of...

Following a complaint from the Grassy Plains Network, the Chief Executive Agriculture Victoria has written to Axxcel Management, the owner of the Ajax Road Grassland site, reminding them of their obligations to manage noxious weeds under the Catchment and Land...

We’ve just now heard the great news, we’ve won at VCAT! The developer’s application to subdivide and clear all the vegetation on the northern half of the Ajax Road Grassland site has been refused. The 35 hectares of Ajax Road Grassland gets to stay and do what it...

The Grassy Plains Network today put in a submission to Parks Victoria regarding the new Kororoit Regional Park Strategic Plan. Our hopes are for a park that offers a fabulous, curated grassland experience with excellent visitation rates and educational facilities. Our...

A significant 1.2 hectares of grassland is set to be cleared under Development Victoria's current proposal for "Section G" of Cairnlea in Brimbank. The three patches of grassland have good stands of Kangaroo Grass and include known populations of the critically...

The stakes are high. The Geelong Strategic Assessment is going to fast-track the development of 6000 hectares that includes endangered grassland, grassy woodland and the Moorabool River. Developers stand to make windfall profits at the cost of the environment. The...

Of the 615 species on the Grassy Plains Network's new list of Victorian Grassland Flora, 60 are on the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act's Threatened List. But of those, only a pitiful 18 (less than a third) have an Action Statement. Action Statements are required by law...

The Grassy Plains Network has put together a new list of the flora of Victoria's grasslands. The list contains 615 species from across the Victorian Volcanic Plain and Riverina. We hope it will be useful and of interest. This is a work-in-progress, aiming to expand...

Two hundred years of land clearing are leading to extinction. Victoria’s 2018 State of the Environment Report indicated that between 1990 and 2015 native grasslands and herblands have declined by 20% from approximately 2.3 million hectares to 1.8 million hectares....

The Grassy Plains Network has identified a set of eleven high-quality grasslands across Melbourne that are under threat. There are more – of course – but these are the most important, and they are in need of urgent action. These eleven are primarily in Hobsons Bay and...

GPN have worked with fab designer Liz Dalgleish to come up with four posters calling out the perilous position of the critically endangered Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens) in Hobsons Bay. We love HB's grasslands, but half of them are completely unprotected,...

GPN has submitted a response to the State government’s proposed new suburban parks. These include Kororoit Regional Park, which is high-quality grassland immediately west of Caroline Springs. The park could lead the way as a great example of how to engage people with...

GPN and residents helped secure some ongoing protection of Ajax Road Grassland at Hobsons Bay Tuesday 22 June with councillors rejecting a subdivision on grounds it asked for needless removal of 35 hectares of native vegetation. Councillors Matt Tyler, Peter Hemphill and Pamela Sutton-Legaud stood up for the environment, local values and sustainable development when they unanimously voted down the planning application.