Call for urgent moratorium after postponed meeting with Ella George

A moratorium will stop Serendip being destroyed like this

After Thursday's meeting with State Member Ella George was postponed, Lara Care Group has written to Ms George calling for an immediate moratorium aimed at stopping Parks Victoria undertaking any further removal of wildlife or enclosures at Serendip

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On Friday Barry White, President of the Lara Care Group, wrote to local member Ella George asking that she request the State Minister for Environment, Ingrid Stitt, intervene immediately to stop the undercover destruction of Serendip Sanctuary.

Ms George postponed a scheduled meeting with LCG due to illness on Thursday.  One of the main purposes of the meeting was to discuss the moratorium and set up a community advisory group to oversee Serendip's future.

A new meeting has been planned for 27th February.

"We cannot wait any longer," said Mr White, "We've been waiting for a resolution to this matter for over a year."

"And while we've been waiting, Parks Victoria has been quietly removing wildlife and pulling down enclosures. We cannot let this continue."

"What they are doing directly conflicts with the Parks Victoria's You Yangs Precinct Master Plan which proposed community consultation BEFORE any significant action was taken."

"Removal of the principle reason for Serendip's existence - its wildlife and endangered species programs - surely constitutes a significant change," Mr White said.

LCG sent this to Ms George on Friday 17th February

Good afternoon Ella
We were sorry to learn about your illness yesterday and wish you a speedy recovery.

We look forward to a rescheduled meeting on Monday Feb 27 at 11.00am.

However, in the meantime, we understand that apart from removal of birds and animals, Parks Victoria has commenced dismantling infrastructure such as cages and enclosures. In view of the community concern about what is now happening, we seek your urgent intervention with the Minister for Environment to request a moratorium on any further action until:

• a community based advisory group is in place and agrees upon further actions at Serendip and
• a budget allocation is made for works at Serendip

We believe this request is both necessary and is consistent with section 8.2 of the You Yangs Precinct Master Plan.

Your early response to this request would be appreciated.

Kind regards

Barry White - President Lara Care Group

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Here is Section 8.2 of the Master Plan (page 102 - highlights by LCG)

"This master plan is a strategic document, setting out a vision and recommended direction for the precinct. It is not intended to provide a design for future infrastructure and facilities, nor extensive detail on the proposed initiatives/projects. Once endorsed and funding is available, further investigations, strategies, planning and detailed design tasks shall be required to enable the key and supporting initiatives, including all necessary approvals and permits. Further consultation with the community and stakeholders shall also be required, prior to implementation. 

It is also expected that the master plan may need to be refined and/or revisited upon completing the Cultural Heritage Management Plan and other technical investigations and strategies (as outlined in Section 6.4). These studies are likely to yield further detailed information, which was not known at the time of drafting this master plan and may influence the recommendations made."

You can access the entire You Yangs Precinct Master Plan here 

Serendip entrance : the pond that native ducks once lived in has gone, just one of countless examples of run down infrastructure in the Sanctuary. 

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Help continue to put pressure on the State Government to stop wrecking Serendip.

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NOTES on this Newsletter

• This is an ongoing series of updates about Serendip direct from the Lara Care Group. 
• We will publish these stories regularly and post them on social media. 
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