Country Victorian communities will benefit from the creation of up to 60 full-time jobs over the next six months as part of the Agriculture Workforce Plan – supporting our farming community and keeping Victorians working.
The Victorian Government announced the further investment of over $3 million towards new jobs with Catchment Management Authorities (CMA) as well as the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP).
The Corangamite, North Central and North East CMAs will join five others already benefitting from the program.
New team members will undertake a range of work, including improving local land health through revegetation and fencing of important environmental areas such as waterways, weed control, soil sampling and water quality monitoring on private and adjacent public land.
This work addresses concerns raised by many farmers by helping to control rabbits, wild dogs and other pests and weeds that affect soil health and crop productivity and kill livestock.
New projects with DELWP will target critical action on pests. Projects in Loddon Mallee and Grampians will support three teams to implement measures protecting public land and adjoining private land and farmland from invasive species such as weeds and rabbits.
Two additional teams will help manage wild dog populations and their impact on livestock, including activities like baiting and trapping.
The new wild dog controllers will be supported with training and supervision to ensure their health and safety while implementing best practice wild dog management.
