Donate
Membership
Get Involved
In a concerning move, Parks Victoria recently cleared a rare montane grassy woodland at Mount Macedon to ‘restore’ public viewing areas near the Mt. Macedon Memorial Cross. The works impacted a restricted ecosystem containing Snow Gums and Alpine Ash, a threatened habitat type already reduced to small remnants across Victoria.
The permit to clear the woodland area was initially rejected by the local Macedon Ranges Shire Council, who found that the ecological harms caused by the clearance would far outweigh any perceived benefits. However, this decision was overruled by the Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, who granted Parks Victoria a permit for the works. Despite strong opposition and protests from local residents and environmental groups, the woodland was cleared in late April 2026.
Representing her local Macedon constituents, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell raised the issue in Parliament and questioned the justification used to approve the clearing of the threatened woodland. She is now calling on the Minister for Planning to explain what went wrong during the relevant decision-making processes that led to the destruction of this woodland habitat. She is also calling on the Allan Government to ensure this kind of preventable environmental destruction cannot happen again.
The Animal Justice Party recognises the significance of remnant ecosystems and is committed to supporting efforts to prevent deforestation. The State Government has a vital role to play in ensuring the protection of Victoria’s fragile endemic ecosystems and State Government Ministers must be held to account if they fail to do so.
How You Can Help
-
For more information on campaigns to protect other remnant pockets of Snow Gum and Alpine Ash Woodlands, visit Friends of the Earth (Melbourne) at www.melbournefoe.org.au/forestfeatured.
Information about their campaign to get Snow Gum woodlands listed as threatened under the EPBC ACT can be found at www.melbournefoe.org.au/snowgum_nomination_epbc
-
Build your knowledge about Victoria’s precious Snow Gum ecosystems and help advocate for them. Helpful articles can be found on the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) website. An introduction to Macedon’s remnant Snow Gum woodlands can be found at vnpa.org.au/macedon-ranges-majestic-snow-gums
