Community
16 April, 2025
Guidance sought
INDEPENDENT candidate for Wannon Alex Dyson has vowed to shape policy around community feedback to address the increase of timber plantations in south-east Corangamite Shire.
Mr Dyson met with around 30 members of the community at the Simpson Recreation Reserve on Monday to hear their concerns surrounding foreign investment leading to a dramatic loss of prime agricultural land which has been purchased
He praised those in attendance for showcasing their respect for each other’s voices despite the often-heated nature of the topic, borne from the concerns the community holds for the future of their towns if prime agricultural land continues to be lost.
“It was incredible,” Mr Dyson said.
“I’ve been hearing more about this since last year but to be in the room, to hear the first-hand stories about how it is affecting communities, was important and inspiring.
“Their knowledge of the issue showed locals can come up with solutions, and I don’t think they’re asking for too much.
“They just want a bit of fairness.”
Mr Dyson said he would take feedback and information from the session to help shape policy on how to prevent the loss of agricultural land across the district, and loosely agreed to support a moratorium to prevent the sale of agricultural land for forestry purposes.
“The great thing about being an independent is I answer to the community – not a party,” he said.
“Being here and hearing from them, I can go away and look at what I can demand of government, to be their voice in Canberra rather than bringing Canberra’s voice here.”
He said he plans to bring potential policy back to the community for their guidance and thoughts before making any formal announcement.
“You don’t want to ignore a resource as valuable as community knowledge,” Mr Dyson said.
“You want to get what the community is asking for right, which is how I think politics should be done – it should be community led.
“I don’t have to view it as how I will fix the problem, but how we can fix it together.
“Having people be part of their own solution is something I’m passionate about, and I think independents are uniquely placed to make sure it is being done and taken care of.”
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