MORE than 18 months after coming to office the Baillieu government is struggling to release a statement outlining its environmental agenda, with an attempt earlier this year aborted.
The state government is believed to be considering whether to release a policy statement to clarify its environmental priorities.
The Age believes a statement was originally planned to be launched before this year's state budget but never eventuated.
The statement was unlikely to include new policies, but rather to act as an umbrella document for existing initiatives such as a review of the state's native vegetation laws.
The statement was to be broken down by priorities, including management of parks and public land; practical local action and community partnerships; best practice environmental legislation; and healthy and productive landscapes.
Other priorities are thought to have included resource efficiency and waste management; managing bushfire risk; developing adaptation responses to potential impacts of a changing climate; and ensuring responsive services delivery from government agencies.
The document was not going to refer to water and planning issues except on public land, agriculture, or energy, except efficiency and renewables, as they were considered covered by other portfolios. References to climate change mitigation were not to be included because it was considered a Commonwealth responsibility.
The Baillieu government is facing an advertising campaign criticising its environmental record from the state's principal green group, Environment Victoria, which has placed ads in local papers…
Read our report on the Baillieu government's environmental record here
Sign our petition to Premier Baillieu here